Wild
by Edele Lane
Summary: Chapter 14 Up Conversation… Sydney continues the op with Simon, yearning to discover everything that happened during her lost two years. JuSi, SS later AU after AML
1. Wild

**Title:** Wild  
**Author:** Edele Lane  
**E-mail:** Edyn04@aol.com  
**Rating:** R  
**Disclaimer:** Everything "Alias;"-related; does not belong to me. It belongs to J.J. Abrams and probably 900 other people associated with him.  
**Archive:** CM. Everyone else, drop me a line.  
**Feedback:** Please;x  
**Spoilers/Timeline:** "A; Missing Link" and spoilers for future episodes  
**Pairing:** JuSi, SS later  
**Summary:** Smut, smut, smut, and more smut. Oh, did I mention the smut? I wrote this because I was pissed at the significant lack of SEX between the dripping-with-lust Syd and Simon. (Note: I originally intended for this to be a one-parter, I really did, but I decided to continue it in sort of an AU format, since S/S didn't have sex and all, and because I kind of wanted to see where I could take it using various spoilers and such.)  
**Dedication:** This is for Ash who reads each part before it is posted here and is undoubtedly my best (and favorite) critic.  


  
  
  
  
**One   
  
Wild  
  
  
  
  
**

"Now; I remember why I left."  
  
  
Sydney grabbed her coat from the chair and started to leave the room.  
  
  
"Babe;, wait," Simon said, leaping from his seat and going over to her. He stood in front of her, blocking her path. She stared at him, the hurt and anger in her soulful chestnut eyes chilling him to the bone.  
  
  
She looked down to avoid his eyes and said, "Just; move, please."  
  
  
"No;," he said, and she looked back up at him, the "why; not" question evident in her expression. "I; want to explain."  
  
  
"Explain; what?" Her voice was low, indicating her clear annoyance.  
  
  
Simon glared at her. "Why; I didn't trust you."  
  
  
"I; don't want to hear it," Sydney muttered, and tried to step around him. Simon moved when she did, blocking her path once again. "Jesus.;"  
  
  
"Look;, you would have done the same if you were me." Sydney just stared at him, lifting her chin in a defiant manner. Simon couldn't help but smile a bit. "You;'re beautiful when you're angry."  
  
  
"I; thought you were going to explain why you didn't trust me," Sydney nearly spat.  
  
  
"Ah;," Simon said, nodding. "You;'re right. I was." Sydney just looked at him from under her long eyelashes. "If; you had found a picture of me with a strange woman, wouldn't you question me?" He walked around her, dipping his head to try and read her myriad of expressions as he continued. "Especially; if I had disappeared without a trace, and had just returned, wanting a place on your skilled team?"  
  
  
Sydney narrowed her eyes. "You; do have a point."  
  
  
Simon smiled. "You; see, then, why I questioned your motives."  
  
  
"Obviously;," Sydney conceded, "but; you have to understand that when someone doesn't trust you when you know that you're not betraying them and they react how you did, it hurts."  
  
  
"I; apologize." Sydney nodded, and Simon leaned in, kissing her upper lip. "Does; this mean that you don'thate me?"  
  
  
Sydney smirked, and took off the tight black shirt that she had put back on when Simon had gone to his computer. She tangled her fingers in Simon's jet black hair and pulled his head towards her so that she could meld her lips to his.  
  
  
The kiss was short, but it had its desired effect. Simon was a bit dazed, his eyelids nearly closed. "I;'m assuming you want me to take that as a 'yes.'"  
  
  
Sydney said nothing, just kissed him again, forcing her tongue into his mouth as she placed her hands on his tanned, muscular chest and pushed him back over to the bed. Simon fell back, taking Sydney with him. She straddled him, pressed her index finger to his lips, ran it over his chin, down his neck, and over his chest.  
  
  
Simon put his hands on Sydney's stomach, stroking the soft skin. Sydney sucked in a breath and leaned forward, beginning to suck on Simon's neck.  
  
  
"Julia;," he groaned, and Sydney felt a charge within her. Her apparent alias sliding off his tongue excited her, and she moaned a bit as she worked her way down, planting kisses on his chest.  
  
  
She was well-aware that Vaughn and Weiss were listening, but she found that she didn't care. All she wanted was to lose herself in the moment, in Simon.  
  
  
Simon's hands had moved to her back, his fingertips caressing her shoulder blades. She lifted her head up and peered at him, seeing unadulterated lust in his eyes.  
  
  
He wanted her.  
  
  
It was exhilarating. Sydney couldn't resist kissing his lips, arching her back as Simon's fingertips slid down her spine. His hands moved again, cupping her face, bringing her closer to him so that her chest was pressed firmly against his.  
  
  
Sydney reached behind her back to unhook her bra, and Simon slipped the straps off her shoulders, his fingers brushing the skin there. He replaced his fingers with his lips, kissing her shoulders, then tracing a path with his mouth over to her collarbone.  
  
  
Sydney couldn't help but gasp at Simon's hot breath on her cool skin. She closed her eyes and held the back of his head in her hands, her slender fingers slipping into his hair.  
  
  
She wasn't prepared when Simon slid a hand between her legs, stroking her through her leather pants. She surprised herself by moaning his name when the tip of his middle finger pressed the leather to her sensitive nub, and stroked in a come hither motion.  
  
  
Simon kept up the slow torture as Sydney went to work on his chest again, teasing a nipple with her tongue, as her hands slid down to wrap around him through his pants. Simon groaned into Sydney's neck, moaning the alias he had come to know her by, and quickened his pace.  
  
  
Sydney found herself drawing closer and closer, her slick center making it easier for Simon to rub the leather right where she needed it. Simon drew his hand away and Sydney was unable to suppress her whimper. Simon cupped the base of her head with one hand as he kissed her roughly. He used his other hand to unzip her pants.  
  
  
Sydney rose up on her knees and Simon pulled the pants down around her thighs. He wrapped his arms around her back and drew her close to him, aware that she was a bit irritated that he had stopped.  
  
  
Nonetheless, Sydney kissed him hard and melded her body against his, her hips moving in involuntary gyrations, her center begging for his touch once again.  
  
  
Simon complied, beginning to trail his lips along her jaw line as he drew one hand back to part her legs. He slid a finger inside of her, then two, dragging long moans out of Sydney's throat. She began to grow impatient, however, starting to thrust down on his hand, demanding he give her what she was seeking.  
  
  
Roughly claiming her lips with his, he began stroking fast against her spot. Sydney thrust down on his hand, feeling the sensations continue to build up inside of her. His other hand cupped one of her breasts, squeezing, then pinching the nipple with his fingers. She drew back from Simon, biting down hard on her lip to avoid crying out when Simon's thumb found her nub, and with one flick, gave her the release she desired.  
  
  
She moaned his name again, leaning forward as her muscles contracted violently. Her forehead found a place to rest on his shoulder as she desperately tried to calm her rapid breathing. She drew back, looking into Simon's heavy lidded gaze.  
  
  
She kissed his forehead, his cheeks, his nose, and finally his mouth, tender and soft. She slipped her tongue past his lips, and moved closer to him as his hand pressed against the small of her back, helping to bring her closer as well.  
  
  
She pulled away from his mouth and kissed his chin. He chuckled a bit and murmured, "You; always do that."  
  
  
She smiled at him and purred, "What;?"  
  
  
Simon repeated what Sydney had done to him, pressing kisses to her forehead, cheeks, nose, mouth, and finally ending with a kiss on her chin. "That;," he smiled.  
  
  
Blushing, Sydney kissed him again, paying special attention to his bottom lip, nibbling gently on it and running her tongue across it.  
  
  
"That;, too," Simon mumbled against her mouth.  
  
  
Turning up one corner of her mouth in a smile, Sydney pressed her fingers to Simon's lips and whispered, "Shhh.;" Simon just nodded a bit and gave a tilt of his head to indicate that she had done this as well. He kissed her fingers.  
  
  
"It;'s just nice to see that you haven'tthese things." He leaned forward to suck on her earlobe and Sydney was grateful because she was terrified to have to explain the look on her face.  
  
  
She wondered how much would come back to her, how much she might remember from being with Simon. She stood up suddenly, and kicked off her restraining leather pants. She straddled him again, legs farther apart than before, opening herself completely to him.  
  
  
She used the fingers of one hand to stroke him through his pants while her other hand undid the zipper. She appreciated the long groan that emerged from his throat when she pulled his pants down as far as she could and took him in her hands.  
  
  
Simon lifted her chin up as she guided her hand up and down, slowly, making him thrust up into her hand, wanting her to go faster. He moved his head down, sucking a nipple into his mouth, gently biting it, and smiling when she shivered.  
  
  
Sydney responded by slowing up her pace even more, but stopping to tap the tips of her fingers against the head, making Simon's hips jump. She moved her other hand into the groove of one of his hipbones as she slid down his body, forcing Simon to release the nipple in his mouth.  
  
  
She pulled his pants down farther and Simon folded his arms behind his head, sighing with pleasure when Sydney began kissing her way down his chest, lavishing a nipple with her tongue, then journeying down to his firm abdomen, planting kisses along the way.  
  
  
She finally reached her ultimate goal, and looked up at Simon with a sex kitten expression plastered across her face. He grinned at her and she stroked him once, twice, then replaced her fist with her mouth.  
  
  
Simon groaned at her actions and her hot, wet mouth sliding over his sensitive flesh. " His hand slid down to curl her hair around his fingers.  
  
  
Sydney moved a hand upwards, twisting one of Simon's nipples, then splayed her fingers across his toned stomach. She moved it down further to where her mouth was, and counteracted her mouth's movements with her fingers, gripping him and stroking gently.  
  
  
She finally stopped on her own accord, and glided up Simon's body, positioning herself above him as she claimed his lips in a rather rough kiss. His hands found the sides of her face and his thumbs caressed her high cheekbones.  
  
  
" she murmured against his mouth, and sank herself down on him, sighing when he did. She squeezed his thighs with her legs, and leaned forward, her breasts pressing against his chest. She licked at his pulse point, pleased with how quickly it was thudding.  
  
  
She moved back, her fingers playing on his chest, her eyes locked with his, desire burning in them. She lifted herself up slightly, then lowered herself back down, feeling him everywhere inside of her. She looked down and Simon's hands found a place to rest on her hips. She looked up again, seeing a level of patience in Simon's eyes.  
  
  
He was waiting for her to begin and he showed no signs of wanting to rush her. Sydney slid a hand into his hair, and kissed him once more before starting to move. She gasped at how perfect he felt within her, how complete she felt.  
  
  
She quickened her pace and Simon began to thrust up into her, keeping his hands on her hips. Their breathing became labored, their bodies started to writhe out of control, both searching blindly for absolution. The pace became devastatingly fast, both moving up and down in time.  
  
  
Sydney couldn't suppress the cry that tore from her lips as her inner muscles clenched around Simon as he exploded up into her. Trembling, and with her muscles still contracting wildly, Sydney fell against Simon's chest, breathing hard, both of their bodies glistening with a thin sheen of sweat.  
  
  
Simon smoothed Sydney's mussed hair and held her close to him, kissing the top of her head. Sydney heard him whisper her alias in her ear a couple times and she felt the same excitement she had before when he had said it.  
  
  
"You; know what?" Simon asked her.  
  
  
"Hm;?" Sydney murmured, looking up at him.  
  
  
"We; have to go over some mission specs and then we have to get going." He kissed her nose when she looked at him with disappointment in her eyes.  
  
  
"How; long do we have?"  
  
  
Simon looked at his watch. "Enough; time to take a shower and prepare to leave." Sydney nodded and moved to Simon's side on the bed. He captured her lips in a long, deep kiss, then stood from the bed. "I;'ll start the water. I'm assuming you'll be joining me?"  
  
  
"Absolutely;," Sydney agreed, and Simon started for the bathroom. Sydney watched him go, eyeing him appreciatively.  
  
  
She lay on the bed, stretched out, and wondered about how she came to meet Simon, how and where she had obtained the alias of "Julia;," and exactly what part the Covenant played in all of it so that she had no recollection of her lost time.  
  
  
She stayed there for a few more moments, wondering if Weiss and Vaughn were still listening or if they had severed communications long before. As she realized earlier, she didn't care whether they were listening or not. Simon had awakened something in her, something that she must have felt during her time with him.  
  
  
She felt powerful and she didn't care what other people thought of her. The sense of freedom was absolutely delicious, and she found herself wanting to have it always.  
  
  
She stood from the bed, twisting her neck, smirking at the satisfying crack. She walked towards the bathroom and saw Simon standing by the sink, waiting for the water to heat up.  
  
  
"Babe;," he murmured, taking her hand and pulling her into the bathroom. His mouth was on hers in a second, his hands cupping her breasts as she leaned into him, kissing him back with equal fervor. Before she realized what was happening, Simon was lifting her onto the counter and she was parting her legs to provide him with a resting place.  
  
  
He was inside her in an instant, and her legs had wrapped around his waist. Her teeth clamped down hard into the skin of his shoulder, spurring him on, making him pump his hips faster.  
  
  
She looked up to meet his eyes as his hand ventured down between them and he began to expedite her orgasm, pending the nearness of his, beginning to thumb her into oblivion.  
  
  
Her nails raked down his muscular back and she leaned forward, peering over his shoulder to examine his tattoo. She traced it, and bit into his shoulder again when she climaxed for the third time that night, her body shaking as he finished up, thrusting hard into her, finding his own release.  
  
  
She kissed him, pressed her forehead to his, and gasped, "Shower;, now."  
  
  
"Right;," he murmured back, sucking on her upper lip as he brought her down off the counter.  
  
  
They both went into the shower, and turned their backs to one another, wanting as few distractions as possible so that they could wash up and get out.  
  
  
They spent more time in the shower than they planned to, and Sydney found herself thinking about what things would be like when the mission had been completed and she ended up having to go back to her sad existence.  
  
  
Being on the bad side, even though it was a deep cover mission, made her feel alive. Being in the CIA never did. It was just her job. She felt guilty for having such feelings, for enjoying committing crimes and for loving the adrenaline rush that came from taking a walk on the wild side.  
  
  
She finished up, rinsing herself off, trying to ignore the fact that Simon was now licking the water off her body as it rained down on her. "Later;," she told him in a not-so-stern voice.  
  
  
Simon just smiled against her skin and bent to kiss her navel. Sydney moaned and tangled her fingers in Simon's wet hair. Before she realized what was happening, Simon was going down on her and she wasn't making any attempt to stop it.  
  
  
She decided she would enjoy it while it lasted, as Simon began twisting his tongue inside her and sucking on and flicking her nub. Before she could come, she backed away and pulled Simon up. She backed up against the wall, gasped at the feel of the cool tile on her back. Simon took the hint, lifting her up and sliding into her.  
  
  
He sucked on her neck, pushing in and out of her as she gasped his name over and over into his shoulder. Once they had both come, both of their bodies quaking, they stepped out of the shower. Sydney dried herself off first, then left the bathroom, needing to put distance between herself and Simon because she knew full well what would happen if she didn't.  
  
  
What she had said to him earlier about their first meeting, before he had accused her of betraying him, came back to her.  
  
  
_"We; couldn't keep our hands off each other."  
  
_  
Obviously that was true whenever they laid eyes on one another.  
  
  
She dressed quickly and sat in the chair by Simon's computer and waited for him to get ready as well. He had his undershirt slung over one arm and he leaned down to kiss her, smiling against her mouth when she moaned into his.  
  
  
Their eyes locked when they pulled apart, and Sydney's eyes raked down his chest and abdomen before she stood up and licked his neck. She moved away from him before he had the chance to take advantage of the situation once again.  
  
  
She grabbed her coat and looked at him.  
  
  
"Let;'s go." 


	2. Grip

**Two  
  
Grip  
  
  
  
  
**

Vaughn carefully removed his headset and laid it down on the table in front of him. He looked behind him. Weiss was still sleeping, and he was snoring away. He glanced down and frowned at the full erection straining at his pants.  
  
  
He sighed, leaned back in his chair, and thought about his conversation with Weiss a while before.  
  
  
_"That; was close," Weiss said, referring to Marshall's quick work of uploading a criminal record for Vaughn. He wiped the sweat off his forehead.  
  
  
"Yeah;," Vaughn agreed, "it; was." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wait;, what's happening now?"  
  
  
_"Now; I remember why I left."  
  
_  
_"Babe;, wait."  
  
_  
Weiss frowned. "Sounds; like she's pissed."  
  
  
"Yeah;, got that," Vaughn snapped.  
  
  
_"Look;, you would have done the same if you were me."  
  
_  
A beat.  
  
  
_"You;'re beautiful when you're angry."  
  
_  
Vaughn practically growled.  
  
  
"Jesus;, man, take it easy," Weiss said, patting Vaughn's shoulder. "This; isn't like the server forty-seven situation with that fat, ugly—"  
  
  
"I; know that, Weiss."  
  
  
"Then; act like you do." Vaughn shot him a death glare and Weiss returned it. They both turned their attention back to the dialogue being exchanged between Simon and Sydney.  
  
  
_"If; you had found a picture of me with a strange woman, wouldn't you question me?"  
  
_  
"The; man *does* have a point," Weiss said quietly. Vaughn glared at him again.  
  
  
_"You; do have a point."  
  
_  
"Heh;," Weiss remarked.  
  
  
"'*Heh*,'" Vaughn mocked.  
  
  
Weiss shoved him and Vaughn managed to chuckle.  
  
  
_"I; apologize."  
  
_  
There was the sound of a kiss, and Vaughn and Weiss exchanged nervous glances.  
  
  
_"Does; this mean that you don'thate me?"  
  
_  
More kissing.  
  
  
_"I;'m assuming you want me to take that as a 'yes.'"  
  
_  
Weiss tossed down his headset. "Yeah;, I don't think this is something I want to listen to."  
  
  
Vaughn kept his on, listening almost intently.  
  
  
"Dude;, Mike, what are you doing?"  
  
  
Vaughn looked over his shoulder. "Dude;, Weiss, I'm listening."  
  
  
Weiss shoved him again. "Look;, I think Sydney would want you to respect her privacy."  
  
  
"Weiss;, we don't know if this is consensual."  
  
  
"You;'re kidding, right?" Weiss asked incredulously. "Tell; me you're not this crazy."  
  
  
"It; just doesn't make any sense," Vaughn countered. "Why; would she willingly have sex with this guy?"  
  
  
Weiss raised an eyebrow when the unmistakable sound of a moan came through on both Vaughn's headset and his, which was lying on the table where he had thrown it down. He yanked Vaughn's headset off and threw it down with his own.  
  
  
"There; is no way you're going to listen to this."  
  
  
"What; if Sydney needs our help later? We won't even know because we won't be listening," Vaughn muttered.  
  
  
"Look;, I don't think she's going to be needing our help for a *while*, okay?" Weiss sighed when Vaughn looked down. "Just; get some coffee and read a book or something. We'llcheck inlater on."  
  
  
Vaughn nodded.  
  
  
"Good.;" Weiss breathed something of a sigh of relief. "I;'m going to try and take a nap." Vaughn nodded again. "Goodnight.;"  
  
  
"'Night."  
  
  
Vaughn waited until Weiss had made himself comfortable in the back of the van, then put his headset back on. He knew what he was doing was more than wrong, sick even, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him.  
  
  
He *had* to listen.  
  
  
So, with one last glance over his shoulder to be certain that Weiss was asleep, he began to listen.  
  
_  
Vaughn sighed and looked back down. To his relief, his erection had grown flaccid. He got up and filled his empty coffee mug to the brim. He took a sip, burning his tongue, and went outside. He leaned against the van, wondering if Sydney remembered her time with Simon. And, if she did, if she remembered anything else about her lost time.  
  
  
He took another sip of his coffee. He knew that Sydney, Simon, and Simon's boys would be going to retrieve what they needed. He wondered what she would think if she knew that he had listened to her sexual romp with Simon. He wondered what she would do, what she would say, how she would react.  
  
  
He took a deep breath and clenched his free hand into a fist. He was burning with jealousy. He knew he shouldn't be, he was married for Christ's sake. But nonetheless, Sydney being with someone other than him made him insanely jealous.  
  
  
Shaking his head and looking down into his mug, he pounded his fist into the side of the van. He cursed under his breath at the deafening echo and the fact that he had probably woken up Weiss.  
  
  
Sure enough, a few moments later, a groggy Weiss came bumbling out of the van. Vaughn looked at him, ignored his "what; the fuck" expression, then turned back to his coffee cup.  
  
  
"You; listened to it, didn't you?" Weiss's words were remarkably clear despite the fact that his eyes were sunken from being startled awake. Vaughn didn't answer, and Weiss continued, "Why;? Why did you listen?"  
  
  
Vaughn shook his head. "I; don't have a good answer for that."  
  
  
"You; were curious," Weiss said with a nod. "I; know you were. I don't understand *why* you were, but I know you were. You probably don't know why you were either. Or at least, you're not sure yet. But, I know you will be. So when you do know, come talk to me." He sighed, looked at his forlorn friend. "I;'m going to check some things out, so come back inside and stand guard."  
  
  
"Yeah;," Vaughn mumbled, and climbed back into the van.  
  
  
"Mike.;" Vaughn looked up. "I; know you still have feelings for Sydney, that's obvious. But you're married now, to a wonderful woman. Give Lauren the respect she deserves."  
  
  
Vaughn narrowed his eyes. "I; have."  
  
  
Weiss shook his head. "No.; You haven't. You've been longing for Sydney ever since she got back."  
  
  
"That;'s not true, I've just been—"  
  
  
"Mike;," Weiss interrupted calmly, "I; know you. I've known you for years."  
  
  
"I; know that," Vaughn snapped, "and; I admit that you probably know me better than I know myself." He scratched the stubble on his cheek. "I; love Lauren, and I always will love her. I loved Sydney in the past, and I'll probably always have feelings for her that will never go away. I can't help that."  
  
  
Weiss frowned. "I; know you can't, but what you don't seem to realize is that you're not married to Sydney, you're married to Lauren."  
  
  
Vaughn set his jaw, irritated at his friend's condescension. Weiss read him like a book.  
  
  
"I; know you're upset with me because I'm telling you the truth. But that's what friends do. They try to help you when you're on the sure path to making a really bad decision."  
  
  
"What; bad decision could I possibly make?" Vaughn demanded as fourteen wrinkles grooved themselves into his forehead.  
  
  
Weiss shook his head. "I; know that you know what I'm talking about, so don't act like you don't. I'm just here to help."  
  
  
"You;'re not doing a very good job," scoffed Vaughn.  
  
  
"I;'m trying the best I can, and that's going to have to suffice."  
  
  
"Fine.;"  
  
  
Weiss clapped Vaughn on the back, then left the van. Vaughn shook his head, sighed, and downed the rest of his coffee. He turned off the small light to his left because it was creating a glare on the papers in front of him, and just seemed to be spitting out way too much light for such a small fixture.  
  
  
He regretted the decision because it made the van all the more dark, but he decided he didn't care, and instead folded his arms across the table and leaned his head against them.  
  
  
He heard some crackling coming from his headset, but he ignored it and shoved it aside with his hand. Yawning, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.  
  
  
  
  
Vaughn wasn't sure how much time had passed when he finally awoke, but he did know that Weiss hadn't returned yet. He deduced from that that it probably had not been very long since he had nodded off, and stood up to refill his mug with some more coffee.  
  
  
He barely had time to register the sound of the van door being thrown open.  
  
  
He had even less time to register the fact that he was being dragged out of the vehicle—and that he had dropped his mug and it had shattered all over the floor of the van.  
  
  
The only thing he had time to register was the face of someone he didn't recognize, but whom he assumed was one of Simon's minions, as blinding pains shot through his body. He didn't remember crying out, but he assumed he did as several men punched and kicked him.  
  
  
He silently prayed for one of them to put him out of his misery and he got his wish when his world went black.  
  
  
  
  
Vaughn groaned as he was hoisted out of whatever vehicle he had been thrown into, and was shoved over to Simon and Sydney. Dialogue was exchanged, but Vaughn wasn't paying attention to it because his head was spinning.  
  
  
He remembered looking in Sydney's direction and trying to squint to be able to see her clearly. The next thing he knew, he was shoved down on his knees in front of Simon. He couldn't fight back. He was too weak and his hands were handcuffed behind him.  
  
  
He was pulled up again and suddenly Sydney was in his face and he could see her all too clearly. She grabbed his jacket and spat something about betrayal. Vaughn was out of it and dizzy, so he just stared at his former lover with an almost blank look in his eyes.  
  
  
The look on her face as she plunged the knife into him sent chills down Vaughn's spine. He knew that Sydney was putting on an act to convince Simon that she wasn't betraying him, but still, her eyes looked cold and vicious.  
  
  
He didn't have much more time to think about it or to even comprehend the pain that was coursing through his body because Simon had kicked him hard down the slope.  
  
  
When he hit the bottom of the embankment, his limbs were splayed out, and he was out cold within seconds.  
  
  
  
  
Weiss walked back to the van, whistling a tune that he had made up. An odd feeling struck him before he opened the van door. He shrugged it off and went inside. He saw the pieces of Vaughn's coffee mug on the floor, and he dashed inside to get on the horn to Dixon.  
  
  
He frantically explained the situation and yelled at Dixon when he tried to tell him to locate the team and relay the problem to them. He released a groan of frustration and jumped into the driver's seat of the van and started the engine.  
  
  
He drove in the direction of the lab where Sydney and Simon had gone to retrieve the package. He looked to see if Vaughn had been tossed somewhere, if some of Simon's goons had taken him and left him somewhere.  
  
  
He stopped when he saw a large empty van. He got out, drew his gun, and began searching around. He came across an embankment and looked around before looking down into it.  
  
  
"Fuck;," he muttered, upon seeing Vaughn's limp body at the bottom of the ravine. He stared for a minute before his legs finally jumped into action and he was able to get back to the van to tell the team to meet him. "Dixon;," he nearly gasped, "I; found Vaughn. He's in a ravine, he's unconscious, and he looks pretty bad. I need you to redirect the team to come to the lab."  
  
  
Dixon agreed without hesitation, and Weiss left the van. He ran to the edge and slid down the embankment, ripping his clothes on sharp rocks and jagged edges. He skinned his hands, but he didn't care.  
  
  
When he reached Vaughn, he saw the stab wound. He checked Vaughn's pulse then checked to see if he was breathing. He wasn't, so Weiss leaned down and quickly administered mouth to mouth.  
  
  
"Come; on, buddy," Weiss whispered before leaning down again.  
  
  
Vaughn finally coughed, and he tried to sit up as he wheezed. "Weiss;," he grunted.  
  
  
"What; happened?" Weiss demanded as he took off his jacket and pressed it to Vaughn's wound.  
  
  
me," Vaughn choked out before falling unconscious again.  
  
  
Weiss' eyes went wide for a moment and he patted Vaughn's cheek to get him to wake up again. He needed to get the full story as to why Sydney had stabbed Vaughn. He could probably determine why, but he needed the answer from Vaughn's lips so he could tell the team when they arrived.  
  
  
"Damn; it, Michael, wake up," Weiss muttered, almost smacking Vaughn now.  
  
  
"God;," Vaughn groaned, coming to once again.  
  
  
"I; need to know exactly what happened," Weiss told him.  
  
  
Vaughn barely nodded, and rasped, "Simon;'s guys came after me when you left. They brought me out here, they informed Simon that I had CIA-issue equipment. Simon was going to kill me, but Sydney convinced him to let her do it because her 'supplier' had betrayed her." Weiss nodded and a small smile suddenly appeared on Vaughn's face.  
  
  
"What;?" Weiss asked, lifting his eyebrows. "What;'s to smile about, Michael?"  
  
  
"Thanks; for finding me."  
  
  
Weiss chuckled wryly. "Someone; had to."  
  
  
"Yeah.;"  
  
  
They stared at each other for a moment before Weiss asked, "Where; did everyone go?"  
  
  
"Is; there a Jeep up there?" Vaughn asked.  
  
  
"No;, just an empty van."  
  
  
"They; left in the Jeep, then."  
  
  
"Okay.;" Weiss sighed and stood up to see if the team had arrived yet. They hadn't, so he knelt down beside Vaughn again.  
  
  
"Do; you think Sydney's in danger?" Vaughn asked.  
  
  
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Was; she convincing in telling Simon that you were definitely her supplier?"  
  
  
"Yes;, very," Vaughn told him.  
  
  
Weiss thought for a moment. "She; should be fine, then." Vaughn nodded, but he wasn't entirely convinced. "Besides;," Weiss continued, "she;'s gotten out of worse situations before. I'm sure this will be a snap for her."  
  
  
Vaughn closed his eyes as he whispered, "I; hope so."  
  
  
  
**A/N:** Mmm.. a little hoyay. Er, I mean, caring and worried Weiss and appreciative Vaughn. Yeah, that's what I meant...  
  
Okay, so I'm just wondering.. was it a good or bad idea to continue? I hope it was good, because my muse was clawing at me today, begging me to keep going. So anyways, I hope you're enjoying this;)  
  
  
~E


	3. Aftermath

**Three  
  
Aftermath  
  
  
  
  
**

_I love to love you baby  
  
When you're laying so close to me  
there's no place I'd rather you be  
than with me  
  
I love to love you baby  
  
Do it to me again and again  
you put me in such an awful spin  
in a spin  
  
I love to love you baby  
  
Lay your head down real close to me  
soothe my mind and set me free  
set me free_  
  
"Love; to Love You Baby"  
Donna Summer**  
**

  
  


Sydney sat rigid in her seat as the Jeep bounced along the rough road. Simon was driving rather fast, but Sydney had neither noticed nor truly cared. She was looking off in the distance, avoiding Simon's eyes, but seeing him glance at her every once in a while.  
  
  
She wondered if he believed what she had told him about not knowing Vaughn was CIA, or if he knew she was lying, and he was just waiting to kill her.  
  
  
She wasn't sure she cared about that, either—dying. She had stabbed Vaughn—because she had to—but just the thought made her churn her stomach. She had harmed someone she cared about, someone who was an extremely close friend of hers.  
  
  
She felt tears prick her eyes and she fought to keep them at bay. She had chosen to stab him in a place that she knew would heal easily and wound not draw a great deal of blood.  
  
  
She shook her head and sighed.  
  
  
Simon took his eyes off the road to look over at her. you all right?"  
  
  
Sydney turned to him and nodded. "The; shock hasn't worn off yet."  
  
  
Simon's eyes softened. "I; understand what it's like to be betrayed by the person you trust most."  
  
  
Sydney managed to swallow before mumbling an agreement, then asked, "Are; we going back to the safehouse?"  
  
  
"Yes.;"  
  
  
Sydney looked off into space again. "Okay.;"  
  
  
  
  
It wasn't long before they had arrived at the safehouse, and Sydney was the first one out of Jeep and the first one into the building. Simon watched, then followed her, instructing Javier to bring in the cooler.  
  
  
"Julia;," Simon mumbled, following her to the bathroom.  
  
  
Sydney pretended she hadn't heard him and shut the door, locking it behind her. Simon knocked, and Sydney ignored him and turned on the shower. She sucked in a breath and felt her lower lip tremble with the sobs in the back of her throat.  
  
  
"I;'ll be out later," she muttered. She heard Simon sigh, then listened for his footsteps as he walked away from the door.  
  
  
She began to strip as the steam began to billow around her. She hoped Vaughn was okay. She figured he was, she figured Weiss had found him already and that he was probably on the way to a hospital.  
  
  
As she removed the last of her clothing, she realized she was shaking. She looked at her hands, found that they were shaking worse than a diabetic with too low blood sugar.  
  
  
She glanced in the mirror, cringed at her appearance, then stepped into the shower. She started to wash up, vaguely aware that her center had started to pulse. She started washing her hair and the pulsing intensified.  
  
  
She thought it odd, given the fact that her mind wasn't, even by a long shot, in the same place her body was. She wasn't in the mood to fuck Simon. Too many things had happened and were clouding her mind for her to be even thinking about sex in general.  
  
  
She rinsed her hair, stood under the water, felt her nether muscles contracting involuntarily now and then. She closed her eyes, willing the sensations to go away. She knew they wouldn't. She shut off the water and stepped out of the shower.  
  
  
She grabbed a clean towel and dried off, then wrapped the towel around her. She left the bathroom, spotted Simon on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. He gave her a small smile, and she returned it, then beckoned him over to her with a curled finger.  
  
  
He smirked, slid off the bed, walked over to her. He leaned in for a kiss, and Sydney turned her back to him, letting the towel drop. She smiled at Simon's chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her, his hands on her stomach as he kissed the back of her neck.  
  
  
"I; take it you're feeling better," he murmured between nips. Sydney didn't answer, and instead moaned when Simon knelt down and licked her skin from the small of her back all the way up to the back of her neck.  
  
  
Sighing softly, Sydney leaned forward and rested her forearms on the table in front of her. She waited as Simon contemplated the action he should take. Leaving herself completely open to Simon made her want this even more. She sighed again, and was relieved when she heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down.  
  
  
Simon kicked off his pants and boxers and pulled his shirt above his head. He looked at Sydney for a moment before smoothing his hands over the skin of her back. He stepped forward, pressed his tip to Sydney's entrance and reached his hands underneath her body, taking a breast in each hand.  
  
  
He leaned over, kissed her shoulder, pressed harder against her. He used his thumbs to circle her nipples, and Sydney couldn't help but moan at the sensations that traveled directly to her center.  
  
  
Simon released her, drew his hands back, caressed one of her legs. He used a finger of his free hand to dip inside her aching wetness, stroking gently, making Sydney lean her head down and bite into her arm. Simon's thumb found her stiff nub and he circled it slowly, smiling at the tiny gasps Sydney was fighting to contain.  
  
  
He finally decided he had tortured her long enough and he withdrew his hand and gripped her hips as he pushed forward. He entered her slowly, peering at her every now and then to glimpse her reactions. When he had finally buried himself to the hilt, he leaned over her, his warm breath brushing her ear, making her shiver.  
  
  
He nibbled on her earlobe, then leaned back and began to move inside her with deliberate slowness. He heard her mutter and decided to speed up his movements.  
  
  
Sydney took a deep breath, looked at the marks her teeth had made in her arm. She shifted slightly, felt Simon touching everywhere inside her, gasped a little. She was back to clamping down on her arm again when Simon began to pound in and out of her.  
  
  
Sydney suddenly realized at that moment that she had a spine as her back began to burn and ache, desperately seeking release.  
  
  
She muttered some things about Jesus and God and let rip a scream when Simon thrust a hand between them to flick her nub, indicating the nearness of his orgasm. Her breathing had become short, rapid bursts of air spilling from her lungs. She tasted blood when she finally came, her muscles clenching tightly around Simon who followed, emptying himself into her.  
  
  
For a while, the only sound in the room was Simon and Sydney breathing in unison, struggling to get oxygen back into their lungs. Simon pulled back, leaving Sydney empty and still hunched over, her forearms on the table. Simon knelt down, peered at her as she pulled back a bit, looking down at him.  
  
  
She managed a small smile and Simon smiled back as he kissed her upper arm. Sydney finally stood up and Simon did as well. They looked at each other for a moment before Sydney stepped forward and placed her forehead on Simon's shoulder. She felt his arms go around her back and she blindly followed Simon as he pulled her with him over to the bed.  
  
  
Sydney sank down onto the mattress with a heavy sigh. Simon joined her, and they lay side by side on their backs.  
  
  
Simon turned to her and said, "I; actually have to speak with someone in a few minutes."  
  
  
Sydney's interest was piqued. "Who;?"  
  
  
Simon turned up one corner of his mouth in a sly grin. "Just; someone."  
  
  
Sydney turned on her side, propping her elbow up on the mattress, leaning her cheek against her fist. "Can;'t tell me?" She touched her finger to his arm. "Or; won't tell me?"  
  
  
Simon flipped onto his side and mimicked Sydney's actions. "A; little bit of both."  
  
  
Sydney lifted an eyebrow and purred, "So; the woman you're fucking and who is quite a valuable asset to this team of yours isn't privy to a small shred of information?"  
  
  
Simon raised his eyebrows and looked down at the mattress as he thought about Sydney's words. He shrugged at her. "Perhaps;?" Sydney frowned a bit, and Simon chuckled, causing Sydney's frown to fade and a small smile to take its place. "Are; you stillwith your supplier betraying you?"  
  
  
Sydney all but glared at him. "Simon;, obviously. It's not something I can get over in an hour. It's going to take time."  
  
  
Simon looked at her for a bit, watching her trace patterns on the mattress. He felt bad for her. He lifted her chin up with one finger, examined her soft eyes. He pressed a kiss to her lips, then whispered that he had to go and got up from the bed.  
  
  
Sydney lay on her back again and watched Simon dress. Her thoughts turned to Vaughn as she worried once again about whether or not he was going to be all right. She was startled when Simon spoke to her.  
  
  
"Julia.;"  
  
  
"Hm;?"  
  
  
"I; think it would serve you well to get dressed," Simon told her, his eyes traveling down her body then flicking back up to her eyes.  
  
  
Sydney pursed her lips. "Why; is that?"  
  
  
Simon buttoned the crisp, clean black oxford he had put on and sat down to put on his shoes. "Just; in case we have to venture in here to use my computer."  
  
  
Sydney pouted. "Is; it a likely possibility?"  
  
  
"It; certainly is possible," Simon said with a nod, "but; whether or not it's likely depends on what we discuss." Sydney sighed. "As; much as I would love for you to stay exactly how you are right now, I really think you should dress."  
  
  
Sydney just ignored him and slid under the covers, smiling as she rested the back of her head on one of the pillows. She swore Simon blushed when he returned the smile to her.  
  
  
"I;'ll see you soon."  
  
  
"Uh; huh."  
  
  
Shaking his head slightly, Simon left the room. Sydney tossed back the covers and got up, wandering over to her clothes. She mumbled as she dressed, then went over to Simon's computer and sat in the chair in front of it.  
  
  
She glanced over her shoulder at the closed door. She heard voices, namely Simon's, and what possibly sounded like Sark's voice. She felt her blood turn to ice when the voices got louder and she heard footsteps coming towards the door. She leaped up from the chair, went back over to the bed, and grabbed a book as she climbed back onto the mattress.  
  
  
She opened the book and held it in front of her face as the door opened. Simon walked in and looked over at Sydney when she lowered the book just a bit. They exchanged smiles. Sark entered behind Simon and Sydney held the book in front of her face again.  
  
  
The two walked over to Simon's computer and started whispering. Sydney caught bits of their conversation.  
  
  
everything you need"  
  
  
?"  
  
  
of course, and also"  
  
  
very good"  
  
  
Sark sat in the chair Sydney had just vacated and Simon murmured something about how Sark could look at the files without worrying about anyone bothering him. Sydney felt her blood boil because Simon had looked pointedly at her when he said it.  
  
  
She flipped him off, then resumed staring at the open book in front of her. Simon just chuckled and told Sark he would be back to check in with him in a little while. He left, closing the door quietly behind him and Sydney shivered.  
  
  
She was alone with Sark.  
  
  
She prayed he wouldn't recognize her or say anything to her. She pulled her book down a bit, peered over the top, watched Sark work. The silence in the room was only lifted by the clacking of computer keys. Sydney gulped when Sark stopped typing and looked to his left, as if pondering something. She hid behind her book again.  
  
  
To her relief, Sark turned back to his work, typing away once again. Sydney stole another look at him, tried to read the computer screen. She squinted, but she wasn't able to read anything. She sucked in a breath, blew it out slowly, and tried to actually read the book in her hands in an attempt to forget the fact that Sark was sitting mere feet away from her, threatening to blow her cover and get her killed if he saw her.  
  
  
She saw Sark stand up when she looked up from her book. She positioned the book in front of her as Sark began to pace the room, thinking. She cleared her throat, and Sark stopped, his back turned to her. Irritated with his behavior, she decided to try her luck at speaking. Keeping her face hidden, she gruffed, "You; seem lost in thought."  
  
  
Sark kept his back to her, nodded. "I; wouldn't say that I'm *lost* in thought, but I am thinking."  
  
  
Sydney spoke again with the gruff voice, "What; about?"  
  
  
Sark folded his arms over his chest and peered over his shoulder. "It; doesn't concern you quite yet."  
  
  
Sydney bit back her "what; the fuck does that mean" response, and instead muttered, "I; see."  
  
  
"We; don't have to play games," Sark said.  
  
  
"I; don't know what you're talking about," Sydney mumbled.  
  
  
"Of; course you do," Sark said, "Sydney.;"  
  
  
Sydney briefly flirted with the idea of denying what Sark had said was true and keeping up the act. Instead, she tossed the book onto the mattress and confronted the issue head-on. "Nice; to see you again so soon, Sark."  
  
  
Sark smirked at her. "Likewise;, Sydney."  
  
  
"So;," Sydney began, feeling a wave of confidence wash over her, "no; games?"  
  
  
Sark shook his head. "No; games."  
  
  
"Good;," Sydney said, and cocked her head to one side. "What; are you doing with Simon?"  
  
  
Sark licked his lips. "You; know, I'd ask you the same question, but I think it's ratherobvious." His eyes traveled the length of the bed, then went back up to Sydney.  
  
  
She chuckled and stood up. "You;'re right." She walked over to him, circled him, stole a glance at the computer screen only to find that Sark had apparently closed out whatever he was working on. "Now; that we've gotten my business with Simon out of the way, why don't you tell me your business with him?" Sark didn't answer right away. "Well;, I certainly hope that there isn't something Simon hasn't told me."  
  
  
Sark grinned that time. "Don;'t worry, Sydney, you're the only one who's fucking him."  
  
  
Sydney fought the urge to clench her teeth and instead pressed, "You; said no games. You know my business with Simon. Tell me yours."  
  
  
Just then, the door opened and Simon waltzed in. Sydney looked over at him and smiled, ignoring the surprised look in his eyes. Sark spoke for himself and Sydney, "I; was just talking to—" he snapped his fingers. "I; didn't get your name."  
  
  
"Julia;," Sydney offered. "I; didn't get yours either."  
  
  
"Andrew;," Sark said casually, and took Sydney's hand in his own, raising it to his lips. He kissed it. "Lovely; to make your acquaintance."  
  
  
Sydney watched Sark's lips on her hand and murmured, "Pleasure;'s all mine."  
  
  
Simon watched the exchange, then asked Sark, "Found; everything you need?"  
  
  
"Yes;," Sark said, and Sydney was almost afraid he'd look over at her, "I; found everything I need."  
  
  
"Good;, good," Simon said, nodding, "I;'ll walk you out, then."  
  
  
Sark glanced at Sydney on his way to the door and grinned as he said, "It; was very nice to meet you."  
  
  
Sydney nodded her agreement and Sark left the room. Simon looked at Sydney for a moment, an eyebrow arched, then left to see Sark on his way.  
  
  
He returned a couple of minutes later and saw Sydney seated at the end of the bed. He walked over to her, looked down at her as she looked up at him. "So; you got to meet him after all."  
  
  
"Yep;," Sydney replied, and pulled Simon closer to her so she could unzip his pants.  
  
  
"How; did you like him?" Simon was hardly paying any attention to Sydney's actions.  
  
  
"He;'s nice," Sydney answered, pulling down Simon's slacks and boxers.  
  
  
"Really;," Simon wondered aloud. Sydney didn't answer, and instead wrapped her hand around Simon's shaft. "So; what did you talk about?"  
  
  
Sydney released Simon and looked up. "Nothing.; He was typing on your computer, I was reading, he got up and paced, and I told him he looked like he was lost in thought."  
  
  
Simon nodded. "You; didn't ask his name until I walked in. Why?"  
  
  
"I; didn't get a chance." Simon nodded again and Sydney stood up abruptly. "Simon;, what the fuck? Why are you making such a damn big deal of me talking to him?"  
  
  
Simon looked into her eyes. He knew she was pissed, so he said calmly, "I; didn't like the way he was looking at you."  
  
  
Sydney narrowed her eyes. "What; the hell are you talking about?"  
  
  
"Don;'t tell me you didn't notice," Simon said angrily. "He; was practically drooling over you."  
  
  
Sydney smirked and wrapped her arms around Simon's neck. "You; think he likes me," she whispered, grinning.  
  
  
"Maybe;," Simon told her.  
  
  
"Ah;," Sydney murmured. She reached down, took him in one hand. "You; don't have to worry," she purred. "I;'m all yours, baby." She sat down when Simon smiled, appearing to be appeased. She wasted no time in taking Simon into her mouth, devouring his entire length, swirling her tongue around his shaft.  
  
  
A guttural moan emerged from Simon's throat, spurring Sydney on, and she worked faster. She pulled back when Simon was close, and sucked gently on the head, as she used her hand to stroke him. Before she closed her eyes, she saw Simon clench his hands into fists and felt him thrust into her mouth as his climax spiraled closer and closer, until—  
  
  
"  
  
  
He came inside her mouth and Sydney swallowed the spurts, milking him dry of every last drop. She stood up, wiped her lip with one finger and kissed him hard, as she tugged on his shirt to yank him closer.  
  
  
"So;," she began after pulling back from Simon, "exactly; who is Andrew and what does he do?"  
  
  
Simon kissed her forehead. "You;'ll find out soon enough." Sydney glared, but Simon didn't notice because he was zipping up his pants. "I; have some work to do. Avery, Javier, and I have a short meeting."  
  
  
"And; you want me to stay here," Sydney deduced.  
  
  
Simon nodded, and remedied her bummed expression by saying, "I;'ll leave you some money. Go shopping. Get new clothes, whatever you want. Go wild." He kissed her. "I;'ll be back in a few hours, probably."  
  
  
He left the room and Sydney sighed. She waited until she was certain that everyone was gone before she left the room as well, plucked the cash from a small table, then left the safehouse altogether.


	4. Tears of Pearls

**A/N: **Yup, it's officially AU now (from the end of "A; Missing Link"). Aside from Vaughn being injured and all that, the stuff is going to be mine, all mine, from here on out. In the summary portion in the header before the first chapter, I mentioned using spoilers for future eps. I'll probably use some if they go along with what I'm planning. If they don't, then that's fine, and this will just be stuff from my imagination. So that's basically it, read on. ;)**  
  
**

  
Four  
  
Tears of Pearls  
  
  
  
  


_And we stare each other down  
like victims in the grind  
Probing all the weakness  
and hurt still left behind and we cry  
The tears of pearls  
We do it. Oh we do it._  
  
"Tears; of Pearls"  
Savage Garden**  
**

  
  


Sydney reached the nearest payphone and dialed for a secure line so that she could speak to her father.  
  
  
"Dad;," Sydney nearly gasped when her father answered the call.  
  
  
"Sydney;," Jack replied, the barest hint of relief in his voice. "Weiss; called."  
  
  
"He; did?" Sydney asked incredulously. "What; did he—"  
  
  
"He; told us what Vaughn said about you having to stab him so Walker wouldn't kill him."  
  
  
Sydney sighed, grateful that she didn't have to explain her story. After a few moments, she asked, "Is; Vaughn okay?"  
  
  
"We;'re not certain," Jack said. "He;'s being airlifted here as we speak. He's conscious, but it's unclear how badly he's injured."  
  
  
Sydney closed her eyes, leaned her forehead against the metal casing supporting the phone. "Oh; God," she whispered.  
  
  
"I;'m sure he'll be fine, Sydney," Jack said.  
  
  
"How;'s—" Sydney paused, biting her lip. "How;'s Lauren? Does she know?"  
  
  
Jack was silent for a minute.  
  
  
"Dad;?" Sydney pressed.  
  
  
"She; knows that Vaughn was stabbed. She doesn't know the details." Jack sighed. "At; this point, it's probably best that she doesn't know it was you who was responsible."  
  
  
"Yeah;," Sydney agreed, "you;'re right. I'm sure she's traumatized enough."  
  
  
Jack spoke quietly. "Sydney.;"  
  
  
"What;?"  
  
  
"Be; careful."  
  
  
Sydney smiled a bit. "I; will. Thanks, Dad."  
  
  
"Of; course. See you soon."  
  
  
"See; you soon."  
  
  
Sydney hung up the phone, wiped her eyes, and sighed heavily. There was still a great deal that she had to explain to her father, namely the fact that Sark had been at the safehouse and that he hadn't blown her cover.  
  
  
She fished into one of the pockets of her pants, closed her fist around the cash from Simon, and walked off.  
  
  
  
  
"Hm;," Simon wondered aloud, and took a long drag of his cigarette, then flicked the ashes out the open window of his car.  
  
  
Sark looked at him, then past the windshield. "You; don't trust her," he surmised.  
  
  
Simon shrugged, puffed at his cigarette again, watched Sydney walk away from the phone. "I;'m not sure what to think."  
  
  
Sark nodded, resisted the urge to smirk. Sydney was lying through her teeth to Simon and a part of Sark loved it. He turned to Simon again. "Who; do you think she was talking to a minute ago?"  
  
  
"Don;'t know," Simon admitted, "but; she seemed worried and relieved about something."  
  
  
"When; I met her," Sark began, "at; the safehouse earlier, she seemed to be quite genuine."  
  
  
Simon looked at the orange embers of his cigarette. "At; least on the surface she seems genuine."  
  
  
"Do; you think she might be hiding something from you?" Sark asked.  
  
  
Simon looked at Sark and their eyes locked. Simon looked back out the window. "It;'s possible." He sighed and said, "When; she killed her supplier, who turned out to be CIA, she seemed very upset."  
  
  
Sark nodded. "That;'s understandable, though. She was betrayed, and she had to kill someone she trusted. It would be perfectly natural for her to be upset."  
  
  
"True;," Simon agreed, "but; even so, she acted as if it broke her heart. We got back to the safehouse and she avoided me for a while." He glanced in his sideview mirror, looked at his reflection. "Hell;, even on the drive back to the safehouse, she was quiet, almost reclusive."  
  
  
Sark looked out of his window, propped his elbow up, hid his mouth with his hand to cover his smirk. "Do; you think it's possible that theirwent beyond just him being her supplier?"  
  
  
Simon was silent.  
  
  
Sark started to feel an adrenaline rush build up. "What; was his name?"  
  
  
"Does; that matter?" Simon snapped.  
  
  
"No;, it doesn't," Sark assured him, "it; doesn't matter. I was just curious. Perhaps I've heard of him before."  
  
  
"I; believe it was Michael Vaughn."  
  
  
"Really;," Sark mused.  
  
  
Simon was interested. "Do; you know him?"  
  
  
"No;," Sark said, shaking his head, "no;, I don't know him."  
  
  
Simon narrowed his eyes at Sark. "Would; you tell me if you did?"  
  
  
Sark grinned and shrugged. "Maybe.;"  
  
  
Simon stared at Sark a moment longer, then took a final drag off his cigarette and tossed the butt out the window. "I; have two members of my team tracking Julia."  
  
  
Sark licked his lips. "Somehow; I doubt that she's lying to you."  
  
  
Simon raised an eyebrow. "Why; is that?"  
  
  
Sark shrugged. "I; can't be sure. But I doubt that she is, considering how—" He shot a look at Simon. "—close you two seem to be."  
  
  
Simon glared at Sark. "She; could be using me."  
  
  
Sark considered this and nodded, but said, "It;'s possible, of course. But somehow I don't think you have anything to worry about."  
  
  
One corner of Simon's mouth turned up in a smile. "I; appreciate your optimism."  
  
  
Sark grinned. "You;'re welcome." He rubbed his chin and asked thoughtfully, "If; she was lying to you, what would you do?"  
  
  
Simon looked at Sark, then grabbed another cigarette and lit it. He took a long drag, drawing it out, then exhaled. He flicked the ashes out the window. "Same; thing I would do to anyone else who betrayed me—I'd kill her."  
  
  
Sark chuckled and patted Simon's arm. "Then; I hope for Julia's sake that she's not double-crossing you."  
  
  
Simon nodded, a wistful expression on his face. "Me; too."  
  
  
  
  
Weiss sat by Vaughn's side in the helicopter. Vaughn was staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. Weiss glanced up at the ceiling then looked back down at Vaughn. "The; ceiling can't honestly be *that* interesting."  
  
  
Vaughn shook his head as he chuckled. "You;'re right. It's not that interesting."  
  
  
"Then; why stare at it so intently?" Weiss probed.  
  
  
Vaughn raised an eyebrow, a grin settling on his face. "You; want to know what I was thinking about."  
  
  
"No;, no," Weiss protested waving his hands in front of him. Vaughn gave him a look. "Actually; yeah, I do."  
  
  
"Okay;," Vaughn ceded, "I; was thinking about the woman I love."  
  
  
Weiss pursed his mouth, shaking his slightly as though he were confused. "Sorry; man, you're going to have to be more specific."  
  
  
"Eric;," Vaughn said pointedly.  
  
  
"What;?"  
  
  
"If; I weren't in this condition, I'd be punching you out right now."  
  
  
Weiss smiled. "I; doubt it, Michael."  
  
  
"Oh; do you?"  
  
  
"Dude;, you wouldn't punch your best friend," Weiss countered.  
  
  
"I; might," Vaughn said, "if; my best friend were questioning my love for my wife."  
  
  
"Ah;, okay, so you were thinking about your wife," Weiss said. Vaughn glared. "I;'m just saying," Weiss said with a shrug. "In; the future, you should be more specific."  
  
  
Vaughn sighed, managed a smile. "I;'ll try to remember that." Weiss patted his shoulder and Vaughn caught his gaze. "I; love Lauren."  
  
  
"I; know," Weiss admitted, "I;'m just giving you a hard time."  
  
  
Vaughn nodded. "Yeah;, you really are."  
  
  
They were quiet for a while.  
  
  
"I; really do love her," Vaughn whispered, holding Weiss's gaze.  
  
  
"I; know you do," Weiss whispered back.  
  
  
Vaughn sighed. "I; wish I could talk to her."  
  
  
Weiss frowned in thought. "Let; me get her on the phone."  
  
  
Vaughn smiled gratefully. "Thank; you."  
  
  
"No; problem, buddy."  
  
  
Vaughn sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly. As Weiss began making calls, Vaughn's thoughts turned to Sydney. He hoped she was all right and prayed that her cover hadn't been blown.  
  
  
"Here;," Weiss said.  
  
  
Vaughn turned his head, saw that Weiss was holding a phone out to him, and nodded his thanks. He took the phone, put it to his ear. "Hey; Lauren," he murmured softly.  
  
  
On the other end, Lauren let out a sigh of relief. "Michael;," she breathed. "Are; you all right?"  
  
  
"Honey;, I'm fine," Vaughn assured her. "It;'s not that serious."  
  
  
"Jack; briefed me," Lauren told him. "I; was so afraid for you."  
  
  
"I;'m fine," Vaughn said again. He chuckled. "Thanks; for worrying about me."  
  
  
Vaughn could swear he heard Lauren smile through the phone. "You;'re welcome. I love you, Michael."  
  
  
"I; love you too, Lauren."  
  
  
Lauren sighed heavily. "I; know this probably isn't the best time to ask you this, but who did this to you? Was it Walker?"  
  
  
Vaughn chewed on his lip. "  
  
  
Lauren grew heated. "Damn; it, Michael, if you know, tell me."  
  
  
" Vaughn said again, trying to coax her.  
  
  
"I; know you think it doesn't matter," Lauren sighed. "In; all honesty, you're right. The important thing is that you're all right. But if you know who it was, I want to know."  
  
  
"Look;," Vaughn started, "I;'ll talk to you when I get home, okay?"  
  
  
Lauren thought this over and finally agreed. "Okay.;"  
  
  
"Okay;," Vaughn said, and smiled. "I; love you."  
  
  
"Love; you."  
  
  
"'Bye."  
  
  
Vaughn handed the phone back to Weiss and folded his hands over his stomach as he looked back up at the ceiling with a happy, relieved expression on his face. Weiss rolled his eyes at him goodnaturedly and Vaughn laughed as he gave Weiss a shove.  
  
  
"So; obviously I was wrong," Weiss conceded.  
  
  
?" Vaughn inquired, trying to hide his grin.  
  
  
you and Lauren," Weiss informed him almost sheepishly.  
  
  
"Yes;," Vaughn agreed, "you; were."  
  
  
Weiss nodded and Vaughn nodded back, the understanding between them clear. "So; I'm going to get some shuteye," Weiss announced, and leaned against the cabin of the helicopter. He was snoring within minutes.  
  
  
Vaughn folded his arms behind his head, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.  
  
  
  
  
A couple of hours later, Sydney was waltzing back into the safehouse with a couple of bags of clothes. She had gone shopping and then she had stopped at a local restaurant to grab a bite before heading back.  
  
  
She kicked the door shut with her foot and carried the bags to a large table. She set everything down on the table for a moment while she dug the leftover cash out of her pocket and set it down on the table. She gathered up the bags again and went to Simon's bedroom.  
  
  
It was empty when she walked in and she thought it odd that Simon wasn't back yet. She set down the bags and collapsed on her back on the bed, exhausted.  
  
  
She was close to falling asleep when Simon opened the door and walked in. She smiled at him and he returned the gesture. "How; was your meeting?" she asked.  
  
  
"My; meeting?" Simon repeated. "It; was perfect."  
  
  
"Good;," Sydney said with a nod.  
  
  
Simon looked at the bags and nodded approvingly. "How; was your shopping expedition?"  
  
  
"It; was great, actually."  
  
  
"Good;, good," Simon said, and kicked off his shoes as he started to unbutton his shirt. He tossed his shirt on the floor and unbuttoned his pants. Those were left on the floor as well, along with his boxers, and Simon walked over to the bed. Sydney was smiling coyly at him as she began to undress as well.  
  
  
He crawled onto the bed, kneeled before her, helped her pull off her pants. She leaned towards him, wanting a kiss, but Simon pulled back and just smiled at her when she tilted her head at him, confused with his actions. Simon thrust his head between Sydney's legs and wasted no time as he started off by biting down on her nub, making her cry out in something Simon was certain was pain.  
  
  
Sydney stared at him, hoping to catch his eyes, so she could silently ask him why he was doing this to her. She prayed that Simon was doing this because it was perhaps the way Julia liked it. But, she feared that Simon was back to not trusting her and he was punishing her for it.  
  
  
She gasped when Simon began to soothe her nub with his mouth and tongue, alternating between pressing his lips to it, kissing softly, and circling his tongue around it.  
  
  
He twisted his tongue inside her after lapping up the pool of wetness at her entrance. Sydney writhed against him, moaning, and Simon's hands flew up to her hips to hold her still. His tongue stroked her inner depths and Sydney closed her eyes and dug her nails into the sheets.  
  
  
One of Simon's hands wandered up Sydney's stomach and closed around one breast, squeezing in a rhythmic fashion as his tongue still continued to torture her down below. His thumb and forefinger pinched her nipple and Sydney cried out at the coinciding sensations pooling in her center.  
  
  
Her breathing became shallow, and her thoughts were silent pleas as she drew closer and closer. She felt Simon's teeth on her nub again and her hips bucked out of control as she exploded, screaming Simon's name.  
  
  
Simon guided her through the orgasm and the aftershocks that jolted through her body. Sydney reached down to stroke his hair with her fingers as she tried to return to Earth. Simon emerged from between her legs, smirking at her. He lay on top of her body, kissing her roughly and forcing his tongue into her mouth. Sydney stroked his tongue with hers, tasting what Simon had, and was forced to break the kiss suddenly when Simon slammed into her.  
  
  
Gasping, she looked into his eyes, saw something deeply feral in them, and was momentarily afraid. That feeling went away in an instant as Simon began thrusting hard and fast, making Sydney bite her lip hard enough to bring blood. Her nails raked down his back, her legs wrapped around his waist, and she clamped down on his shoulder as she listened to his hoarse breathing.  
  
  
She arched her back and Simon reached down, sending her over the edge for the second time as he released himself into her. She held him against her, smoothed his hair as he buried his head in her shoulder.  
  
  
"Is; something wrong?" she whispered.  
  
  
Simon went still for a moment, then detached himself from her and stood up. Sydney drew her knees to her chest, feeling horribly exposed in front of Simon.  
  
  
"No;," Simon told her, shaking his head. "Why; would there be anything wrong?"  
  
  
Sydney looked down and mumbled, "I; don't know, it's just that you were sort of—aggressive—and I thought that maybe—"  
  
  
"Nothing;'s wrong, Julia," Simon insisted, and went back over to the bed and sat down. He curled his fingers around a few locks of her hair, smiled at her, and kissed her lips gently. He pulled back, noting that her eyes were still closed, and rubbed his thumb over her high cheekbone. He stood up again. "I;'m going to shower."  
  
  
Sydney nodded, but didn't say anything, and Simon went to the bathroom. Tears filled her eyes but she didn't bother wiping them away. Instead, she got up and began to get dressed, then went back to the bed, curled up beneath the covers, and slipped into a deep slumber.  
  
  
  
  
Sark crossed his arms over his chest. Things were going interestingly well. He had planted a microphone on Simon's coat when they were talking earlier. He wondered how long it would be before Simon figured out that Sydney was betraying him and whether or not he would kill Sydney like he had said he would.  
  
  
A smirk played on Sark's lips. He didn't want to see Sydney killed, necessarily, but he did want to see how she would get out of this situation, as well as what she might learn from being in it.  
  
  
He heard the sound of light breathing and he surmised that Sydney was sleeping while Simon was showering. He wondered what she looked like when she slept and mentally slapped himself for having such thoughts.  
  
  
He thought back to their encounter earlier that evening, how well they had played off each other, and how he had managed to keep his business with Simon private. He knew that he had the perfect opportunity to hand over Sydney's identity right then. She would have been dead for sure, and Simon would have probably thanked him for steering him towards Sydney's betrayal.  
  
  
But he hadn't, and he wasn't certain why. A part of him said that he refrained from telling Simon who Sydney was because he wanted Simon to perhaps discover it on his own and make Sydney suffer in the process. Another part said that he hadn't done it because he wanted to help Sydney, wanted to let her find out whatever she was hoping to find out and leave her be to do so.  
  
  
After all, he had seen her in Mexico City and had deliberately mentioned Medusa, knowing she would hear him. He had also seen her earlier that night, before Simon and Sydney had stolen the virus, and he had neglected to blow her cover then as well.  
  
  
He heard Sydney sigh in her sleep and he sighed as well, deciding that he was spending way too much time pondering this when there were other things he needed to worry about and focus on.  
  
  
He couldn't continue fixating on Sydney, wondering whether or not he wanted to help her or destroy her, even though he knew deep down that they were mortal enemies and probably always would be.  
  
  
The shower was turned off, the curtain opened, and Sark heard Simon talking to Sydney, waking her up. He heard Sydney's reluctant agreement to something Simon had said that he hadn't quite picked up until the sound of mattress springs being depressed filled his ears, and the answer was obvious.  
  
  
He sighed, switched off his earpiece, and stood from the chair in his penthouse suite in a hotel near Simon's safehouse. He wandered over to his bed, chastising himself for suddenly feeling jealous of Simon's time with Sydney.  
  
  
With a shake of his head, he stripped completely, preferring to sleep in the nude, and crawled into bed, his thoughts still occupied by one Sydney Bristow.  
  
  
**Another A/N:** Mmm.. smut. Aww.. V/L=cuteness times 47. And ooo.. Sneaky!Sark. Don't you just love him? Hee;)  
  
  
~E


	5. Driven By Force

**Five  
  
Driven By Force  
  
  
  
  
**

_Hey hey man, what's your problem  
I see you try to hurt me bad  
Don't know what you're up against  
Maybe you should reconsider  
Come up with another plan  
'Cause you know I'm not that kind of girl  
That'll lay there let you come first  
  
You can push me out the window  
I'll just get back up  
You can run over me with your 18 wheeler truck  
And I won't give a fuck  
You can hang me like a slave  
I'll go underground  
You can run over me with your 18 wheeler but  
You can't keep me down_  
  
"18; Wheeler"  
Pink**  
**

  
  


Sydney woke up the next morning to find Simon's side of the bed empty. She sighed, wondered where he went. She tossed back the covers and swung her legs over the side and stood up. She stretched her limbs, groaning at the dull pain in her joints.  
  
  
She sauntered towards the bathroom, naked because she and Simon had fucked again after he had taken his shower and she hadn't bothered getting dressed afterwards, even though she felt like she needed to do so.  
  
  
Things had changed between her and Simon and she was now more than ever convinced that he either knew she was betraying him or was at least thoroughly suspicious of her and was waiting until she did something to prove him correct.  
  
  
Before walking into the bathroom, she threw a glance over her shoulder and noticed a piece of paper near Simon's computer. She wondered if it was a note for her, but decided she would check after she took a shower.  
  
  
She closed the door and turned on the water. Instead of waiting for it to heat up, she jumped in right away, cringing at the ice-cold water. It warmed up faster than she expected and she turned her back to the spray, tilting her head back under the water and sighed.  
  
  
She stayed like that for several minutes, finding that it eased her worries about Simon discovering her true identity. She finally scrubbed her body and washed her hair, then stood under the spray a bit longer before exiting the shower.  
  
  
She drew a towel about her, and walked back out into the bedroom. A voice startled her.  
  
  
"There;'s a note for you over there."  
  
  
Sydney frowned at Sark's cool demeanor and his smooth as velvet tone. She tilted her head at him as she tucked in one part of the towel securely and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is; that right?"  
  
  
Sark nodded and leaned with his shoulder against the wall. "When; I went to use Simon's computer, I noticed your name scribbled on that."  
  
  
Sydney walked over to the table, looked down at the note then back up at Sark. "Did; you read it?"  
  
  
Sark smiled. "Of; course not. It wouldn't be my place."  
  
  
Sydney arched an eyebrow. "Oh;, so it's not your place to read a note, but it is your place to—stand guard—and wait for me to come out of the shower?"  
  
  
"I; needed to talk to you."  
  
  
"I; see," Sydney mused, picking up the note and studying it.  
  
  
_Julia,  
Unfortunately, I had to leave early this morning and I didn't get a chance to say good-bye properly. I apologize for not being able to let you accompany me, but there is some business I must deal with before another job comes up. When that happens, I'll give you a ring and you can join me if you so wish. For now, I bid you adieu.  
Cheers babe,  
S_  
  
  
Sydney folded the note neatly and placed it back on the table. She looked at it almost forlornly until Sark snapped her out of her stupor.  
  
  
"Good; news? Bad news?"  
  
  
"Neither;, really," Sydney said, and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold. She looked at Sark. "I; need to get dressed. Do you mind?"  
  
  
"Not; at all," Sark replied, and turned his back to her.  
  
  
Sydney scoffed and bit her tongue, deciding not to ask him to leave because she knew he wouldn't. She rifled through the bags of clothes she bought, selecting a pair of khaki slacks and a navy blue short-sleeve button down top.  
  
  
She dropped the towel and dressed, staring at Sark the entire time as if daring him to turn around and look at her. She buttoned her top, doing up all the buttons save for the first couple. She picked up her towel.  
  
  
"I;'m decent."  
  
  
Sark turned back around, gave Sydney a blatant once-over, and said, "Right; then."  
  
  
Sydney felt compelled to smack him, but resisted the urge, and instead dropped her towel into the hamper in the bathroom and took a seat in the chair by Simon's computer. She stretched her long legs out in front of her.  
  
  
"Why; are you here?"  
  
  
"I; told you—I need to talk to you."  
  
  
"Talk; then," Sydney said, a touch of annoyance in her voice.  
  
  
"As; I'm sure you're well-aware," Sark began, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, "I; could call Simon up right now and tell him who you really are. The other two members of his team, Avery and Javier, are still here, in Sevilla. Simon would report to them what I told him and they would kill you."  
  
  
Sydney rested her elbow on the table and brought her hand to her face. Thoughtfully, she brushed her lips with the tips of her fingers. "Why; haven't you told him?"  
  
  
"I; haven't told him because I know he's an important player in your lost two years, and I know that you intend to extract every ounce of information from him that you can so you can retrace your steps," Sark explained, locking eyes with Sydney, who, to his surprise, actually held his gaze.  
  
  
"I; haven't learned much from him yet," Sydney admitted, tracing a circle in the carpet with her toe.  
  
  
"No;?"  
  
  
Sydney shook her head. "It;'s not easy, considering if I ask him things about our past, he'd think it odd because I shouldn't have to be asking him. I should know those things." She looked down at the impressions she had made in the carpet. "I; should know them," she repeated, and looked up at Sark, "but; I don't."  
  
  
"I; understand," Sark said softly, his eyes reflecting the honesty of his words.  
  
  
"No; you don't," Sydney said, her tone rueful. Her voice dropped to a low whisper. "You; have no idea." She stood up, looked out the window, swallowed hard against the tears in her throat.  
  
  
Sark walked up behind her, touched her shoulder lightly, made her shiver. He murmured, "What; if I said that I could help you?"  
  
  
Sydney turned her head, looked reprovingly at Sark's hand on her shoulder, smirked when he dropped it by his side. "How; could you help me?"  
  
  
"I;'ll find out whatever I can about 'Julia' from Simon and relate it back to you."  
  
  
Sydney knew it was too good to be true, so she demanded, "What;'s the catch, Sark?"  
  
  
Sark pursed his lips, looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, then turned around and walked back over to the bed to sit down. He smirked at her. "What; makes you think there's a catch, Sydney?"  
  
  
Sydney crossed her arms over her chest and sat back down in her chair. "Why; wouldn't there be?" Sark grinned. "You; wouldn't do this for me unless there's something in it for you."  
  
  
"Or; maybe I just want to help you out," Sark countered.  
  
  
Sydney shrugged. "Well;, forgive me if I don't understand why you would want to do anything that would make my life easier."  
  
  
Sark looked down for a moment, then gazed back up at Sydney through bright azure eyes. "Do; we have to have reasons for the things we do?"  
  
  
"Sark;, you've never really struck me as one of those people who would help someone and demand nothing in return," Sydney said. She tucked her hair behind her ear and asked, "Now; be honest, why do you want to help me?"  
  
  
Sark stood up, rubbed his chin. "You;'re just going to have to trust me."  
  
  
Sydney nearly choked on her laughter. "You; can't be serious."  
  
  
"Oh; but I am, Sydney," Sark assured her, "I; am. Now tell me, do you want my help, or do you want to be stuck not knowing anything about your two years?"  
  
  
Sydney stood up as well. She felt that he was patronizing her with his demanding a simple answer to such a complicated question. She threw her hands in the air, defeated. "Fine.; But you know what? I don't really care what you do, because Simon will probably never speak to me again, so I won't have to worry about him or Avery or Javier trying to kill me. Besides, I'll be back in L.A. in a matter of hours, so I won't have to worry then, either." She sighed heavily at the cocky expression on Sark's face. "If; you want to dig up information, fine. If you want to report it back to me, that's fine, too." She shrugged. "I; don't care, so do what you want."  
  
  
"Good;," Sark said. "Hopefully;, I'll have something for you by tomorrow." He opened the door, looked back at Sydney. "Ciao.;" He closed the door behind him.  
  
  
Sydney sat down on the bed where Sark had just been sitting. She gazed down at her hands. "Christ.;"  
  
  
  
  
Sark walked out to Simon's waiting car, whistling as he went. He hopped in and looked over at Simon who had a lit cigarette between his lips. "Give; me one of those," Sark said, bobbing his head in the direction of Simon's cigarette.  
  
  
Simon handed one over along with a lighter. "How; did it go?"  
  
  
"Very; well," Sark replied, handing the lighter back to Simon. He rolled down his window, flicked the ashes out.  
  
  
"So; what does she think about transferring whatever loyalties she has over to working fulltime with the Covenant?" Simon asked before taking a long drag and blowing the smoke out of his nose and mouth simultaneously.  
  
  
"She;'s fine with it," Sark answered. He felt a muscle in his face twitch at his lie, but he ignored it. He couldn't wait to see the look on Sydney's face once she learned that he had volunteered her to work at the very organization he knew she wanted to bring down. He nearly chuckled at the irony of her SD-6 days. Things would work well, he knew they would. And in time, he knew she would come to appreciate what he had done for her.  
  
  
In time.  
  
  
  
  
Vaughn awoke from his deep sleep to find himself in a hospital bed with Lauren sitting beside him in what looked to be a fairly comfortable chair despite the fact that hospitals weren't exactly known for comfort.  
  
  
He saw that Lauren was sleeping, and he smiled, content with watching her peaceful form. When he sighed, she awoke, and they shared goofy grins.  
  
  
"Hey; you," Lauren greeted him, standing up and going over to him.  
  
  
"Hey;," Vaughn said, and opened his mouth under hers when she kissed him.  
  
  
"I; missed you," she whispered when she pulled back a bit. There were tears in her eyes.  
  
  
Vaughn touched his nose to hers. "I; missed you, too." They smiled again, and Vaughn stroked Lauren's hair with his hand as she lay her head on his chest, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.  
  
  
  
  
Sark looked over at Simon and asked, "And; how about you? How do you feel about trading in your freelance status to work with the Covenant?"  
  
  
Simon nodded. "I; feel good about it. I like the idea of having a permanent job."  
  
  
"Great; to hear," Sark said. "I;'m sure the Covenant will be over the moon when they hear that you, Julia, Avery, and Javier have decided to work for them, and add to their astounding workforce." He smiled at Simon and held out his hand. "I; welcome you aboard."  
  
  
Simon shook Sark's outstretched hand. "Thank; you. I assume we should be off, then."  
  
  
"Yes;," Sark agreed. "I;'m sure they can't wait to meet you."  
  
  
Simon chuckled. "And; Avery and Javier once I give them the news, and Julia, when I call her to tell her that there's another job."  
  
  
Sark smiled to himself as he said, "Absolutely.;"  
  
  
  
  
Back in the safehouse, Sydney was gathering up her bags and preparing to head back to Los Angeles. She pocketed the note Simon had left her, giving it a quick glance before she did. She looked around the room with the bags in her hands, then glanced down at the floor. The circle she had made earlier with her towel was still impressed upon the carpet.  
  
  
She slipped on the pair of sandals she had bought the day before and headed for home.  
  
  
**A/N:** Yeah, this is gonna be weird. Oh yeah, and Vaughn and Lauren are cute as hell. I hope they stay together forever.


	6. False Promises

**A/N:** YAY! A new chappy before the ep airs tonight! WHOO! Oh yeah, enjoy and stuff;)**  
**

  
  
Six  
  
False Promises  
  
  
  
  


Once Sydney had returned to Los Angeles, Weiss had offered to drive her to her apartment so she could drop off her things, and then take her to the hospital to see Vaughn. She had accepted his offer, and, after the quick trip to Sydney's place, they were now on the way to the hospital.  
  
  
Weiss took his eyes off the road for a brief moment to look at Sydney. "Are; you all right?"  
  
  
Sydney gave him a weak smile and told him she was fine. Weiss was skeptical, and asked her again.  
  
  
"Jesus.; Why wouldn't I be all right?" Sydney demanded angrily.  
  
  
Weiss sighed. "I; care about you. I'm just asking."  
  
  
"Yeah;, I know that, but I'm fine, so just drop it," Sydney huffed.  
  
  
"Fine.;"  
  
  
Sydney closed her eyes and tried to imagine she were anywhere else.  
  
  
  
  
"They; told me I might find you here," said Sark as he walked towards the woman standing on the bridge, looking down into the inky depths of the ocean. He was in Mexico City again.  
  
  
"Andrew;," she murmured, and swiftly went to him, throwing her arms around his neck.  
  
  
"Allison;," Sark whispered, holding her close to him, burying his face in her hair.  
  
  
Allison drew back, let her fingers play on the back of Sark's neck and pulled him to her as she kissed his lips. It was soft, gentle, perhaps even a bit tentative. They separated, looked into each other's eyes. Allison touched the side of Sark's face. "Hi.;"  
  
  
Sark gave her a genuine smile. "Hi.;"  
  
  
"What; did they tell you?" she asked.  
  
  
"They; said that you had been saved and that you were now working with them—the Covenant," Sark replied.  
  
  
"How; long ago did they tell you?"  
  
  
"Just; a short while ago."  
  
  
Allison frowned and shook her head in silent indignation. "I; can't believe they didn't tell you sooner. They told me that you had been extracted but that I couldn't see you yet. I didn't question why, but I'm thinking I should have."  
  
  
"It; doesn't matter, Alli," Sark told her. "All; that matters is that we know now."  
  
  
"I; know," Allison said quietly, and Sark leaned in, capturing her lips hungrily, his hands in her hair. Allison pulled back first, raised an eyebrow at Sark.  
  
  
"What;?" he asked.  
  
  
"What; happened to your hair?"  
  
  
Sark chuckled, kissed her again. "It; was shaved when I was still in CIA custody."  
  
  
"Aw;," Allison said, pouting. She ran her fingers across the bit of hair on Sark's head. "I; miss the curls."  
  
  
"And; I missed you," Sark said pointedly, and Allison grinned as she stepped forward and melded her lips to his. She broke it reluctantly, needing to tell Sark something, and pressed her forehead against his.  
  
  
"I; love you, you know."  
  
  
"I; know," Sark said, "and; I love you, too."  
  
  
They were silent for a while. Sark took Allison's hands in his, lifted them up and kissed the inside of her wrists.  
  
  
"You; know what?" he asked her, a smile appearing on his lips.  
  
  
Allison returned the smile, and asked, "What;?"  
  
  
"The; Covenant has two new assets," Sark told her.  
  
  
"Really;," mused Allison. "Who;?"  
  
  
"Simon; Walker—"  
  
  
"I;'ve heard of him," Allison interrupted.  
  
  
"—and Sydney Bristow," Sark finished, looking directly into Allison's eyes. He saw the rage in them.  
  
  
"That; bitch is going to be working with us?" Allison questioned.  
  
  
Sark nodded, then smirked. "Only; she doesn't know it yet."  
  
  
Allison laughed in disbelief. "How; could she not know?"  
  
  
"I; haven't told her yet that I volunteered her for the job," Sark explained, his smile growing broader. "She; was on a CIA mission to gain information from Simon Walker, who was apparently a key player in the two years that Sydney was missing. I had a talk with her, and a talk with Simon, and now I just have to let Sydney know about this little plan."  
  
  
"Wow;," Allison murmured, then grinned. "She; is going to hate you so much"  
  
  
Sark chuckled. "I;'m pretty sure she already does."  
  
  
"Have; you talked to her at all?"  
  
  
"Yes;, before I let Simon know that she would be joining him in working for the Covenant. I told her I could give her information that I would obtain from Simon, so she wouldn't be completely lost about her two years."  
  
  
Allison's face fell, and Sark tilted his head to the side. "You; offered to help her?"  
  
  
"  
  
  
"Why;?"  
  
  
"I; wanted to," Sark said. "I; don't understand what the problem is."  
  
  
Allison narrowed her eyes. "Why; do you want to help her?"  
  
  
Sark set his jaw. "Partially; because I think she has a right to know who did a mindfuck on her that isn't letting her recall her memories, and partially because I'm curious to see what she did and where she went, what she accomplished, or didn't accomplish, and how that affects us."  
  
  
"You; still haven't told me *why* you wanted to help her," Allison pointed out.  
  
  
"I; most certainly have," Sark insisted, "I; told you that I want to—"  
  
  
"No;," Allison said, shaking her head. "What; I want to know is what you intend to gain from this. Sure, we'll know what happened to Bristow and she'll know also, but what do you want out of this?"  
  
  
Sark scratched his head. "Look;, I just want to know what happened to her during those two years."  
  
  
"There; has to be more to it," Allison pressed. "There; has to be something that you want from her. There has to be a catch."  
  
  
"That;'s what Sydney said when I told her I'd help," Sark admitted.  
  
  
"Exactly;," Allison said, crossing her arms over her chest. "So; what *do* you want?"  
  
  
"Nothing;," Sark said with a shake of his head. "I; don't want anything. I just want the satisfaction of knowing."  
  
  
Allison stared at him for a moment before claiming, "We;'ll see." She ignored Sark's annoyed expression and grabbed his hand. "Come; with me."  
  
  
  
  
Sydney and Weiss arrived at the hospital, and Sydney found herself afraid to go see Vaughn. She was scared that he might rip her apart for stabbing him even though it was the only thing she could do and she figured he would understand. She was also worried that the same thing might happen with Lauren. She was on thin ice with Lauren already, and the last thing she wanted was for there to be more tension between them than there already was.  
  
  
Weiss looked at her, saw her hesitant expression, and knew immediately what was on her mind. "Okay;, let me guess," he began, "you;'re afraid that both Vaughn and Lauren will blame you for what happened even though you had no other choice but to stab Vaughn so that Simon Walker couldn't kill him."  
  
  
Sydney just nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear as she stared absently out the passenger side window.  
  
  
"Syd;, I don't think you have anything to worry about. When I found him, after you had stabbed him, his first concern was whether or not your cover had been blown. He didn't care what happened to himself, he was worried about you."  
  
  
Sydney managed a weak smile. "That; sounds like Vaughn."  
  
  
"Yeah;," Weiss agreed, "and; I'm sure he's told Lauren and I'm sure she understands, too."  
  
  
"I;'m not so sure," Sydney said quietly. "She; might think I did it as revenge or something. Like, if I can't have Vaughn then no one else can, either."  
  
  
Weiss scoffed. "Syd;, come on. Listen to yourself, listen to how ridiculous you sound. Lauren knows that you wouldn't hurt Vaughn. End of story."  
  
  
Sydney shook her head. "I; don't think it's that simple."  
  
  
  
  
Allison led Sark into the apartment she was currently occupying near the headquarters of the Covenant. Allison managed to kick the door shut before Sark pulled her over to the couch and collapsed on top of her, showering her body with kisses as he stripped away her clothes.  
  
  
Allison licked at Sark's neck as she worked to remove the clothing Sark was wearing. Once the barriers were gone, the two lovers looked into the eyes of one another, panting. Sark leaned down, brushed his lips over Allison's as she dug her nails into his hips and lifted herself up to him.  
  
  
Sark bent down, sucked on one of Allison's nipples, listened to her moans. He stopped abruptly when he felt a hand grab him down below, and he looked up at Allison, saw the command in her eyes, and graciously complied.  
  
  
  
  
Sydney was still in Weiss' car, but she was ready to get going. "I;'ll see you later, okay?"  
  
  
Weiss nodded and lay a hand on her arm when she started to leave. "Do; you want me to come with you? Or do you think you'll—"  
  
  
"—be okay?" Sydney finished. Weiss nodded. "I;'ll be fine." She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Thanks;, though."  
  
  
"Yeah;," Weiss said, as Sydney climbed out. The sound of the door closing filled Weiss' ears. He touched his cheek where Sydney had kissed him. To no one in particular, he murmured, "What; are friends for?"  
  
  
  
  
Sark and Allison moved together, each knowing exactly what the other liked. Sark alternated between thrusting hard and fast, then going slow, and making Allison beg for it, while she clenched her muscles around him, making him groan with her teasing.  
  
  
Allison reached a hand up and wrapped her fingers around Sark's neck, felt the shivers that ran through his body. He slowed down again and she took the opportunity to plant soft kisses along his jaw and claim his mouth in a tender kiss.  
  
  
Sark sped up again and their bodies moved together as one, both wanting and needing absolution. They finally reached it, Allison climaxing with a jolt as Sark burst inside of her.  
  
  
Their heavy breathing filled the silence and Sark lay on top of Allison as she stroked the side of his face and kissed his temple. He sighed, exhausted, and rested his head on her chest.  
  
  
  
  
Sydney walked through the hospital doors and went to the front desk. She asked for Michael Vaughn and the receptionist pointed down the hall. Sydney nodded her thanks and followed where the receptionist had directed her, walking slowly because her legs felt like lead.  
  
  
She finally reached Vaughn's room after what seemed like several eternities. Lauren was there, sitting next to Vaughn, holding his hand in hers, their fingers linked. Sydney felt a sharp pain in her stomach as if she had been punched there, and knocked on the open door of the room.  
  
  
"Hey;," she choked out, and cleared her throat.  
  
  
"Hey;," Vaughn and Lauren said in unison.  
  
  
Sydney was nervous. Her hands shook a bit. "Can; I—"  
  
  
"Of; course," Lauren said, cutting her off.  
  
  
"Thanks.;" Sydney walked over to Vaughn, stood on the other side of his bed. He smiled at her and Sydney smiled back, feeling tears prick her eyelids. "I;'m so glad you're okay," she blurted. "I;'m so sorry that—"  
  
  
"Syd;, it's okay," Vaughn assured her. "It;'s not your fault."  
  
  
"It; feels like it is," Sydney whispered. She locked eyes with him. "You; know that I had no choice—"  
  
  
"Hold; on a minute," Lauren interrupted, standing from her chair. "What; are you talking about?"  
  
  
Sydney was stunned. Vaughn hadn't told Lauren. She looked at him, saw him holding his head in one hand, hiding his eyes from her. She bit her tongue to keep from lashing out at him, and managed to ask, rather civilly, "Vaughn;? You didn't tell her?"  
  
  
"When; I got here," Vaughn began, "and; I woke up and saw my wife, there didn't seem to be a great time to tell her the truth." He looked at Lauren as if to convince her that he was speaking the truth. He turned back to Sydney and furrowed his brow at her angry look. "All; I cared about was—"  
  
  
"—keeping me in the dark," Lauren interrupted, fuming. Vaughn's eyes snapped over to her. "I; want to know what happened, and I want to know now."  
  
  
"All; right," Sydney said, nodding, "we;'ll tell you. But you need to keep an open mind or you're going to take everything the wrong way."  
  
  
"Just; tell me," Lauren demanded.  
  
  
Sydney sighed. "I; was with Simon. We had just stolen the weapon and he announced that we were switching cars. Vaughn was pulled out of the new car. He had been made, they found CIA equipment. Simon was going to kill him, but I convinced him to let me do it. He obliged and I took a knife and stabbed Vaughn. I put the tracking device on him, which wasn't even needed because Weiss found him so fast." She took a deep breath. "That;'s the truth."  
  
  
Lauren just stared at Sydney, contemplating her words. She looked down for a moment, then looked over at her husband, seeking confirmation of the verity of Sydney's words. Vaughn nodded sincerely and Lauren looked back at Sydney.  
  
  
"Okay;, then. I believe you," she said. Sydney discreetly wiped the tears out of her eyes. "I; know that you would never willingly hurt Michael," Lauren admitted, her voice quiet. "It;'s just that finding out you were the person who hurt my husband, whether or not it was the only thing you could do, there's only one way I could react. Unfortunately, it involved panic and fear and anger. I'm sorry."  
  
  
Sydney shook her head vigorously. "Lauren;, you don't have to apologize. I understand."  
  
  
Lauren nodded and swallowed against the tears in her throat. She looked up at Sydney shyly. "You; don't hate me, do you?"  
  
  
"No;!" Sydney exclaimed, and was unable to hold in the sudden burst of laughter and tears. She walked over to Lauren and hugged her, feeling it was the only thing she could do to rectify the situation. "I; don't hate you," she whispered.  
  
  
Lauren hugged Sydney back, then pulled away and smiled. "That;'s really a relief."  
  
  
Sydney smiled as well and asked, "You; don't hate me either, right?"  
  
  
Lauren shook her head. "I; could never hate you," she said softly, "for; any reason."  
  
  
For a second, Sydney was taken aback, but she got over it and smiled again.  
  
  
Lauren looked at Vaughn. "Look;, I actually have to take care of a few things, so I'll be back later." She turned her attention back to Sydney when Vaughn acknowledged her words with a nod. "'Bye." She walked out of the room.  
  
  
Sydney watched Lauren go, then walked around to the other side of Vaughn's bed and sat down in the chair in which Lauren had been sitting. She held her head in one hand and sighed deeply. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and glared up at Vaughn.  
  
  
"Why; didn't you tell her?"  
  
  
"I; told you, there wasn't a good—"  
  
  
"You; could have made this a hell of a lot easier, Vaughn."  
  
  
Vaughn wrinkled his forehead as he said, "Frankly;, I think it meant a lot more to her because it came from you. Lauren knows that I would have made it not seem like a big deal and tried to dismiss it because I didn't think it mattered, but you gave it all to her bluntly. I think she appreciated that."  
  
  
Sydney leaned back in the chair. "You; might be right about me being blunt with her, but I think she would have preferred to hear it from you. After all, you're the one who was stabbed."  
  
  
"I; think we both have valid points," Vaughn said abruptly, "and; I don't think either one of us is more right than the other. All I know is that it's over and there wasn't a fight, so I think that things are okay."  
  
  
"I; hope you're right," Sydney murmured. "I; don't want Lauren to hate me."  
  
  
"Right;," Vaughn scoffed, "because; it's all about you."  
  
  
Sydney looked up, startled. "Excuse; me?"  
  
  
"You; only care about yourself, Sydney," Vaughn husked. "You; don't care about anyone else. You haven't even asked me how I am! All you care about is whether or not someone likes or hates you. Guess what, Sydney, there's more to life than ensuring that you're on everyone's good side."  
  
  
Sydney stood up. "You; think that because I want to make sure that the wife of someone close to me and whom I work with doesn't want to rip me apart makes me *selfish*?" Vaughn stared. "Is; that it, Vaughn? I don't want to go around wondering if I'm going to be stabbed in the back because I did what I had to do to protect someone I love!"  
  
  
Vaughn looked at Sydney almost questioningly, wondering if she had meant the last part of her sentence. He decided it didn't matter and shook his head to clear out the thought of probing further into her words.  
  
  
"I; understand what you're saying," he began, "but; the truth is, you and Lauren will probably never be best friends, or even friends at all, and you need to get it through your thick skull that it doesn't matter whether or not she likes or doesn't like you. It doesn't *matter*. Obviously, no one wants to be hated by anyone, but our circumstances are different from the circumstances of others. You're just going to have to deal with it and get on with your life."  
  
  
Sydney stared at him in disbelief. "I; *am* getting on with my life, Vaughn. Do you see me crying over you? Do you see me breaking down because we're not together anymore? Of course not. And it's not because you're not worth crying over, it's because I am trying to deal with this in the best way that I can so that it doesn't hinder my ability to do my job!" She paused, took a breath, and continued, "If; you can't see that or understand that, then I don't know what to tell you." She walked towards the door. "One; more thing—the reason why I didn't ask how you were? There wasn't a *good* time." She walked to the door and left without looking over her shoulder.  
  
  
Vaughn watched her leave, thought about how he could have avoided all this if he had just told Lauren about Sydney's role in his stabbing. He sighed, rubbed his temples with his fingers, and leaned back in the bed to try and sleep.  
  
  
  
  
Sark and Allison were getting dressed when Allison asked, "So; when are you going to tell Bristow about your volunteering her to work for the Covenant?"  
  
  
"Tomorrow;," Sark answered, buttoning his shirt. "I;'ll call her, ask her to meet me, and give her all the details then."  
  
  
"I;'d love to be there, to see the look on her face when you tell her," Allison said hopefully.  
  
  
Sark smiled and kissed her. "You; won't be able to unfortunately, but I can wear a mic if you want, and you can hear her reaction."  
  
  
Allison smirked. "I;'ll just settle for you telling me."  
  
  
Sark chuckled. "I;'ll make sure I don't leave out any details." He kissed her again and started for the door. "I;'ll see you soon."  
  
  
"Okay;," Allison agreed. "Just; don't be gone too long." She pouted at him. "I;'d miss you too much."  
  
  
"I; promise I won't," Sark assured her. He smiled and left. Once outside, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed as he walked. He had an apartment much like Allison's near the Covenant's headquarters. He dialed the last number and smiled when Simon picked up on the first ring.  
  
  
"Yes;?"  
  
  
"Simon;, this is Mr. Sark."  
  
  
"Ah;, yes, good to hear from you."  
  
  
"Right.; Look, I need to ask you a favor," Sark told him.  
  
  
"Of; course, mate, anything."  
  
  
"If; you see Julia or talk to her, I need to ask you not to mention anything about the job."  
  
  
Simon was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why; is that?"  
  
  
"There; are some things between her and I that need to be cleared up concerning the job. I have some more details for her, but I don't want you two to be discussing it quite yet because I haven't officially introduced her to the main players."  
  
  
"All; right," Simon agreed. "I; have a question, though, and don't take this as me doubting your word, but, have you told Julia about the job?"  
  
  
"Of; course I have," Sark said, a bit testy. "I; just don't want it being discussed quite yet, not when I'm not there to give you any details you might require."  
  
  
"Fine;, then," Simon said.  
  
  
"I;'ll be in touch," Sark told him, and disconnected the call. He placed the phone in his pocket and continued to walk along. He thought about how difficult it would be when he told Sydney what was going to happen. He knew that she could rat him out to Simon, tell him that he was lying to her, that he had never mentioned a word about working for the Covenant.  
  
  
But he had an advantage there as well. He could reveal Sydney's secret. Simon would know Sydney had betrayed him, and he would probably forget all about Sark's lie because it wouldn't matter. Sydney would be dead.  
  
  
He would have chuckled at that, but for some reason the revelation sobered him. He knew that Sydney would be a valuable asset, and he also knew that she would still remain loyal to the CIA. The Covenant would be helped and hindered at the same time.  
  
  
He scratched the back of his neck, wondered if he truly wanted to help the Covenant or if he wanted to help Sydney bring it down. He smiled to himself. Right now it didn't matter. He had plenty of time to decide.  
  
  
He shoved his hands into his pockets as he strolled, kicking small rocks as he went. He kicked a big rock towards a sewage drain, watched it jump and roll along the concrete and finally drop into the drain.  
  
  
Another big rock crossed his path and he kicked it as well, but this one landed about an inch from the sewage drain. Sark tilted his head and looked at it, wondering whether or not he should go with his first instinct and kick it in or just leave it there and let it be.  
  
  
After a minute of contemplating, he decided to let it go, and walked away from it, looking over his shoulder with a bit of a smirk at the rock on the brink.  
  
  
**A/N:** Mmm.. Sarkison.. So anyways, this should be interesting. Oh, Lauren rocks and Vaughn sucks. Sark is hot. So is Allison. Thus Sarkison is hot. Mmm.. Sarkison.. Oh wait, I did that already. Okay. Anyways, thanks to everyone who's reading/reviewing/enjoying! You all make my day;)  
  
  
~E


	7. Misconceptions

**A/N: **Yay, another new chapter before an ep! Whoo!**  
**

  
  
Seven  
  
Misconceptions  
  
  
  
  


Sydney got a ride home from Weiss who invited himself in and offered to get takeout and keep her company. Weiss grabbed the phone book and plopped on Sydney's couch and Sydney joined him looking over his shoulder.  
  
  
Her cell phone rang and she and Weiss exchanged confused looks before Sydney dug it out of her pocket and answered it.  
  
  
"Hello;?"  
  
  
"Julia;, it's Simon."  
  
  
Sydney gulped. She hadn't expected a new job to come up so soon. She glanced at Weiss who had resumed flipping pages in the phone book. Weiss caught her gaze and she mouthed "Simon;" and stood up.  
  
  
"What;'s up?" she asked casually as she walked to her room.  
  
  
"I; want to see you," he answered.  
  
  
"Oh;," Sydney mumbled, and hoped she didn't sound disappointed.  
  
  
Simon was silent for a moment, and Sydney felt bad. "That;'s all right, isn't it?"  
  
  
"Of; course, of course," she said quickly, "Absolutely.;" When Simon didn't say anything, she asked, "Where; should we meet?"  
  
  
"I; have a safehouse in Las Vegas that I flew to earlier today. If you can catch a flight—"  
  
  
"Yeah;," Sydney told him, "I; can. When I get there, I'll call you, and you can direct me to it."  
  
  
"Good;," Simon replied, and paused a moment before he said, "I;'ll see you soon."  
  
  
"Yeah.;"  
  
  
Simon hung up.  
  
  
  
  
Sark chuckled to himself, and took off his headset where he had been listening to Sydney and Simon's conversation courtesy of the bug he had placed on the latter's coat.  
  
  
He was going to Las Vegas.  
  
  
  
  
Sydney sighed and shook her head slightly. She nearly jumped at the sound of Weiss' voice.  
  
  
"Everything; okay?" he asked, and popped a chip into his mouth from the bag he was holding.  
  
  
"Yup;," Sydney said, and plastered a smile on her face. Weiss raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
  
"What;'s going on?" He popped another chip into his mouth.  
  
  
"I;'m going to see him." Weiss just stared at her. "What;?"  
  
  
"You;'re going to see him?" Weiss questioned, his tone incredulous.  
  
  
"Yeah;," Sydney said, nodding. Weiss stared again. "Look;, I don't know what your problem is, but—"  
  
  
"It;'s nothing," Weiss assured her. "I;'m just surprised that you're going to see him again. Especially considering how the last meeting turned out."  
  
  
"This; is an opportunity," Sydney declared. "I; could find out more information about my two years, which is something I'm really looking forward to."  
  
  
Weiss muttered under his breath, "Among; other things."  
  
  
Sydney sucked in a breath. She wondered if he was suggesting what she thought he was suggesting. How would he have known, anyway? Then she remembered—he and Vaughn might have listened to the exchange after Vaughn's fake criminal record had been uploaded. She tucked her hair behind her ear with a shaky hand.  
  
  
"Weiss;, I'm going to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth." Weiss nodded. "Did; you listen after Simon saw Vaughn's phony record?"  
  
  
"No.;"  
  
  
Sydney let out a sigh of relief.  
  
  
"But; Vaughn did." He stuffed several chips in his mouth.  
  
  
Sydney swallowed hard, bit down on her trembling lower lip. She spoke in a whisper-quiet voice, "W-why; did he listen?"  
  
  
"Because; he—"  
  
  
"More; importantly," Sydney interrupted, "why; didn't you stop him from listening?"  
  
  
"Syd;, I told him not to, I even ripped off his headset." Weiss shrugged. "He; just didn't listen to me."  
  
  
Sydney narrowed her eyes. "Why; didn't you take his headset away altogether?"  
  
  
Weiss rolled his eyes. "Jesus; Syd, he's not five. What was I going to do? Play hide and seek with it? I tore it off the first time, told him to get a cup of coffee and ignore what you guys were doing, and then I took a nap. He obviously didn't listen to my advice."  
  
  
"Whatever;," Sydney said after a few moments, exasperated. "I; don't care."  
  
  
"In; Vaughn's defense, there shouldn't have been anything to tempt him," Weiss said, crunching down on another chip.  
  
  
Sydney stared at him in a stunned silence. Weiss just stared back at her. "What; right do you have to tell me what I can and cannot do? It's not my fault that you people have absolutely *no* decency whatsoever."  
  
  
"Syd;, your mission was to get info from an informant, not to get laid by said informant." He popped more food into his mouth and Sydney snatched the bag away, irritated with his behavior.  
  
  
"Look;, this is ridiculous. I have to get going." Sydney grabbed her already packed suitcase and shoved past Weiss as she left her room. Sydney shoved the bag of chips into the pantry and went to the front door.  
  
  
"What; do you want me to tell your dad if he calls asking where you went?" Weiss asked.  
  
  
Sydney looked up at the ceiling, pretended to think for a moment. "Tell; him Simon is fucking my brains out. He'll love that." She opened the front door when Weiss shook his head and sighed. "I;'ll be back in a day or two." She slammed the door.  
  
  
  
  
An hour later, Sydney was well on her way to Las Vegas. She had called on her way to airport and was able to book a last-minute flight, although she paid through the nose to get the ticket. She had also managed to rent a car for driving to the safehouse.  
  
  
She was grateful that the plane wasn't packed and that she wasn't stuck wedged between anyone. She was even lucky enough to get a window seat, and she spent the majority of the ride staring out the small glass fixture.  
  
  
She wondered what Simon had meant when he said he wanted to see her. Did that mean another job had come up and he was too giddy about it to tell her over the phone? Or did it simply mean that he wanted to see her just to see her?  
  
  
Sydney crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes. She was determined to get a nap in before the plane landed, even though her mind wouldn't stop operating at the current rate of a mile a minute.  
  
  
She thought about Vaughn, about him listening to her sexcapades with Simon. She wanted to know what right he thought he had to pry into that part of her life. Granted, she knew she probably shouldn't have done anything knowing that Vaughn and Weiss could hear, but nonetheless—Vaughn should have known to respect her privacy.  
  
  
Plus, Vaughn was married. What business did he think he had listening to his ex-love fucking someone else? Whether his curiosity had launched out of control or he was just a sick pervert, one thing was certain—Vaughn had no idea what it meant to be married.  
  
  
Sydney sighed, rubbed her forehead with her hand, then raked her fingers through her hair. She finally propped her elbow against the bit of window sill and nervously chewed on her thumbnail. She glanced around the nearly empty cabin, and leaned back again, falling asleep almost instantly.  
  
  
  
  
It was a while later, and the plane had finally landed. Sydney had picked up her rental car and had called Simon for directions. She was hoping that it would be simple, drive until she hit a particular landmark, then turn and it would be nearby—hidden, naturally—but unfortunately, the instructions made her head hurt.  
  
  
There were small patches where she was able to just drive for a while, but the majority of her trip consisted of constant turning at different points, left and right, and Sydney found herself sighing heavily into the phone while she soothed her throbbing temples with her fingers.  
  
  
"Last; one." Simon's smooth accent floated through the phone.  
  
  
"About; time," Sydney muttered.  
  
  
Simon chuckled. "I; think it was worth it, though—don't you?"  
  
  
"I; don't know yet," Sydney told him, "I;'m still driving." She turned at the next available opportunity and smiled a bit when she saw the safehouse off in the distance. "I; see it."  
  
  
"Good.; I'll talk to you inside."  
  
  
Sydney tossed her phone onto the passenger's seat after turning it off, and floored it the rest of the way. She parked in front, got out, and grabbed her suitcase. She walked up to the safehouse, suitcase in tow, and found Simon already waiting for her. He was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest.  
  
  
Giving him a coy smile, Sydney strode right past him into the building. She heard his disbelieving laugh.  
  
  
"No; kiss hello?" he asked, walking towards her. "You; surprise me, Julia."  
  
  
Sydney set down her suitcase and turned around to face him. "What; fun would there be if I didn't?" She grinned at him, then walked over to the table in the small space that served as a dining room. She hopped up on it, leaned back so that her palms were resting behind her, supporting her weight.  
  
  
Simon went over to the table, sat down in a chair near where Sydney resided, and looked up at her. "Chair;'s not good enough for you, eh?"  
  
  
Sydney tilted her head to one side. "Would; you prefer for me to sit in a chair?" Simon shook his head slowly. "All; right, then. I'll stay right here."  
  
  
Simon turned up one corner of his mouth in a cute smile. "Your; decision."  
  
  
Sydney smiled back. "So;," she began, leaning back a bit further, "why; did you want to see me?"  
  
  
Simon stood up and went to her, nudged her legs apart with his hand, stepped between them. "Do; we have to discuss this right now?" he asked, as he bent forward to kiss Sydney's neck.  
  
  
"I; would prefer to," Sydney said, moving out of reach. Simon looked up at her, disappointed. Sydney ignored his expression. "Is; there another job?"  
  
  
"No.;"  
  
  
Sydney swallowed hard. She wondered if he had discovered her betrayal and had asked her to come here so he could kill her. She regretted not informing her father and Dixon that she was leaving, but she knew they would have both said no to her going. She needed to find out more information if she could, and if her life was going to be at risk, then so be it, because she had to know.  
  
  
Simon was nibbling on her neck now, slowly moving upwards, letting his mouth dance over her jaw line. Sydney tried to move away, but Simon had trapped her with his hands flat on the table on either side of her legs. She considered pushing him away, but decided against it, worried that that might make him angry.  
  
  
"Look;, Simon," she began, "I; know you'd rather tell me later, but I'd prefer to know now."  
  
  
Simon backed away then, scratching the back of his neck and frowning at her. "Julia;, I just wanted to see you. Is that so horrible?"  
  
  
Sydney shook her head. "No;, it's not, but it's just that—"  
  
  
"You; used to tell me how upset it made you when I wouldn't pay much attention to you except when I called you for jobs."  
  
  
Sydney just looked at him, hoping that she didn't appear as startled as she was.  
  
  
"Have; things changed in such a short amount of time, Julia?" Simon asked. "Do; you no longer feel the same way you did?"  
  
  
Sydney opened her mouth to speak, to try and say something, but Simon interrupted again.  
  
  
"Oh; come on! Don't tell me you don't remember!" He locked eyes with her, spoke quietly, "You; said it to me once. You said the words."  
  
  
Sydney finally found something to say without faltering, "Yeah.;" She could only guess what he was talking about, but it was a pretty safe bet, so she decided to go with it.  
  
  
"I; didn't say it back," he continued.  
  
  
Sydney looked down, continued to act like she knew what he was talking about. "I; know."  
  
  
"And; you left."  
  
  
Sydney's first instinct was to look up in surprise, but she resisted, and instead just nodded. "I; did."  
  
  
"I; made a mistake," Simon admitted. "I; should have said it."  
  
  
Sydney shook her head. "You; shouldn't say something if you don't truly mean it."  
  
  
"I; *do* mean it," Simon insisted. "That;'s why I was glad when you came back. I took it as a second chance." Sydney still didn't look up. "I; do love you, Julia."  
  
  
Sydney looked up at him. He was in love with her—Julia, at least—and she was in love with him. She hadn't expected it. Given how raw their interaction had been just a couple days before, she never would have guessed that—as Julia—she and Simon were in love.  
  
  
Her voice was a whisper, "Why; didn't you say it before?"  
  
  
Simon nearly rolled his eyes at her. "You; *know* why, Julia."  
  
  
Sydney sighed, decided to press it further. She looked far into his eyes. "Tell; me."  
  
  
Simon kept his gaze locked on hers. "Based; on our circumstances, considering how dangerous our work is, I decided it would be best not to get attached. But, I did get attached, and then I failed to tell you that I had." He licked his dry lips. "The; truth is, Julia, I love you, and not telling you before was the biggest mistake of my life."  
  
  
Sydney bit down on her trembling lower lip and simply nodded. The strange thing was, despite the fact that she didn't remember her two years, the feeling she obtained from being with Simon and especially hearing his confession was familiar. She felt like she remembered being vulnerable with him, and finding a bit of vulnerability in him, even if he wouldn't admit it.  
  
  
She knew what she was getting into, but she didn't care. She couldn't turn her back on Simon, not when he was doing something that he was obviously not accustomed to doing. His feelings for Julia obviously ran deep and Julia clearly felt the same way.  
  
  
Without a second thought, she let the words roll off her tongue, "I; love you, too."  
  
  
Simon reached Sydney in a second, capturing her lips in a simultaneously rough and gentle kiss. He cupped the back of her head with his hands, and she framed his face with hers. After a moment, Simon began unbuttoning her shirt, and Sydney returned the favor. Sydney was about to take off her shirt when he lifted her up and carried her to his bedroom.  
  
  
He lay her down on the bed gently, climbed on top of her, and kissed his way down her body as he unzipped and removed her pants. Sydney sat up, kissed his bare chest as she helped him take off his pants. She wrapped her hands around him through his boxers, listened to his groan of pleasure, then assisted him in taking those off as well.  
  
  
Simon reached around to unhook Sydney's bra, then slipped off her panties. He looked at her for a good long moment, studying her face, then moving forward to claim her mouth and lean her back on the mattress as he settled on top of her.  
  
  
He moved down her body again, kissing, nipping, licking, spreading her legs apart so he could explore. He kissed the inside of her thighs, moving steadily to her center, where he pressed a kiss to her and ventured inside with his tongue.  
  
  
Sydney moaned deeply, closing her eyes to take in all the sensations coursing through her. Simon was alternating between swirling his tongue around inside and flicking her nub back and forth. She cried out when she went over the edge, and Simon looked up to note and file away the expression on her face when he emerged from his post.  
  
  
He started to move back into place on top of her when she surprised him by flipping him over and beginning to suckle his tender flesh. He watched her, hands by his sides, resisting the urge to touch her hair. She looked up at him, her eyes looking almost innocent, and Simon twisted a few strands of her chestnut locks around his fingers.  
  
  
When he got too close, Simon stopped her, and Sydney released him. She glided up his body, kissed his mouth, and poised herself above him before slowly lowering herself down. Her moist heat enveloped him and she started to move slowly. She took his hands in hers, laced their fingers together, and moved a bit faster, drawing close again and knowing that Simon wasn't that far away.  
  
  
She arched her spine and tilted her head back when she climaxed, and Simon brought her against him as he exploded inside her, thrusting a bit before lifting her chin up and pressing his lips against hers gently.  
  
  
Sydney pulled back and lay on her side beside Simon who turned towards her, smiling. She touched his face and he held her wrist with his fingers, kissing her skin. Sydney looked into his eyes as she said, "You; meant what you said earlier?"  
  
  
Simon nodded. "Yes;, I meant what I said."  
  
  
Sydney sighed a bit. "Okay.;" She snuggled closer, placed her head on his chest.  
  
  
Simon draped an arm over her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "'Night."  
  
  
"'Night."  
  
  
**A/N:** Hmm.. Syd's kinda hosed. She's got a hothotHOT mystery guy who simply adores her. Wait, what am I saying.. she's not hosed—she's the luckiest. girl. EVER.  
  
About tonight's ep.. I looked at Alias-Media's caps, and I must say, some of that shit FREAKED ME OUT. Y'all will seriously cringe.  
  
*shudders*  
  
  
~E


	8. Hindsight

**Eight  
  
Hindsight  
  
  
  
  
**

_I should have seen it coming  
I should have fucking known  
How could I let you play me  
I don't even know  
I should have seen it coming  
I should have fucking known  
How could I let you play me  
I don't even know_  
  
"Should; Have Known"  
Robyn**  
**

  
  


Sydney woke up the next morning to find, for the second time in two days, an empty bed. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, then reached over to the nightstand, her fingers brushing a scrap of paper.  
  
  
  
_Julia,  
Sorry I had to leave. I'll see you soon.  
S  
  
_  
  
Sydney felt her heart sink and she tossed the paper back on the nightstand and started to get out of bed.  
  
  
"I; wouldn't do that if I were you."  
  
  
Sydney froze and looked in the direction of the voice. She saw Sark sitting in a chair in the corner, watching her with interest. With as much dignity as she could muster, Sydney kept the blankets above her chest, secured them beneath her arms, and folded her hands in her lap.  
  
  
She looked up at Sark and said, "I; can only guess why you're here."  
  
  
Sark nodded, leaned back in his chair. "You;'re going to be working with me."  
  
  
Sydney raised an eyebrow. "I; sure hope that this is a joke and that you just have an incredibly twisted sense of humor."  
  
  
Sark gave her a serious look. "No; joke."  
  
  
Sydney scoffed. "You; can't honestly believe that I would work with you."  
  
  
"I; do believe it, and so will you, because you don't have a choice in the matter."  
  
  
"The; hell I don't."  
  
  
"Well;, you're right," Sark said with a nod, "but; the decision not to work with me will result in your death."  
  
  
Sydney smirked. "So; if I say 'no' right now, you'll just pull out a gun and shoot me dead?"  
  
  
"I; won't be the one killing you, Sydney," Sark told her, returning the smirk. "It;'ll be Simon."  
  
  
Sydney was confused. "Wait;—Simon? What does Simon have to do with this?"  
  
  
"He;'ll be working with me, too."  
  
  
"So; what?"  
  
  
"So;, I told him you were going to join him," Sark explained.  
  
  
Sydney was livid. "You; son of a bitch."  
  
  
"Thank; you," Sark said with a nod and a smile that made Sydney want to leap out of the bed regardless of her current state and strangle him. "Oh; by the way," he said almost offhandedly, "when; I said you would be working with me, what I really meant was, you'd be working for the Covenant."  
  
  
Sydney stared at him in disbelief. "You; expect me to work for the very organization that took two years of my *life* from me?!"  
  
  
Sark frowned thoughtfully. "Sort; of."  
  
  
Sydney bit down hard on her tongue. She needed to focus and right now she could barely see straight. She needed to get facts out of Sark, not let her temper help Sark in getting the better of her. She narrowed her eyes. "Define; 'sort of.'"  
  
  
Sark rubbed his chin. "Well;, I imagine that you'll be a double agent. So, this will give you the opportunity to both help and hinder the Covenant."  
  
  
Sydney murmured, "What; the fuck?"  
  
  
Sark chuckled. "I; can tell that you're trying to figure out whether I'm on your side or the Covenant's side."  
  
  
Sydney stared. "Pretty; much."  
  
  
"One; of my main goals at the moment is finding out who murdered my father. I'm certain that in working with the Covenant, I can find out who was responsible."  
  
  
Sydney smirked at him.  
  
  
"What;?"  
  
  
Sydney's smirk turned into a full-fledged grin. "I; can make that real easy for you, Sark."  
  
  
Sark was intrigued. "Is; that so?"  
  
  
"Uh; huh."  
  
  
"Interesting;," he mused. "You; know who did it?"  
  
  
"Yep.;"  
  
  
"Who;?"  
  
  
She smiled. "Me.;"  
  
  
Sark was silent and Sydney took pride in her small victory. She had never intended to use the fact that she had killed Sark's father against him, but now she had a loophole. She knew the information wouldn't get her out of being a double-agent again, like back in her SD-6 days, but she did know that she could at least push Sark's buttons.  
  
  
It was a sweet prospect.  
  
  
Sydney looked at Sark who was looking down at the floor, his eyes cold, but definitely not unfeeling. She knew he was trying to hide his shock and pain but he was failing miserably. For a moment, she considered gathering the blankets around her and going over to Sark, perhaps to comfort him in some way. Instead, she just sighed and leaned back against the headboard, still watching Sark.  
  
  
"I;'m assuming," Sark started, his voice quiet and even a bit shaky, "that; you're referring to a time in your lost two years."  
  
  
"Obviously;," Sydney huffed, "I;'m not a cold-blooded murderer."  
  
  
Sark nodded absently, now staring straight ahead.  
  
  
Sydney was unnerved by Sark's actions. She knew that telling Sark she had killed his father was going to hurt him, but now she was regretting having said anything. "I; had no control over my actions. I didn't even know until my father showed me a tape." She sighed. "I;'m sorry."  
  
  
Sark stood up. "Yes;, well, there's nothing to be done. It's over with and that's it." He started to leave when Sydney called him back.  
  
  
"You; know what?"  
  
  
Sark turned to face her, but still avoided her eyes.  
  
  
"I; don't know if you're on my side or the Covenant's, but if you're on theirs, just know that what I did was a result of whatever *they* did to me."  
  
  
Sark was still silent.  
  
  
"If; you want revenge, I can help you get it."  
  
  
Sark finally met her eyes. He saw the sincerity in them and gave her a small nod to acknowledge her words. "Don;'t mention anything to Simon, as he thinks I told you about working for the Covenant a couple days ago. I'll contact you both soon, and we'll go from there. Here." He tossed a balled up piece of paper to her. She caught it. "If; you have questions," he said, nodding towards the paper. He started to leave, but was once again stopped by Sydney.  
  
  
"Think; about what I said."  
  
  
Sark didn't answer, just nodded again and left. Sydney exhaled deeply and got up from the bed, gathering her clothes. As she dressed, she thought about the opportunities she would have working as a double-agent, and also wondered about Sark, if he was going to be all right and if he'd be able to put this past and move on.  
  
  
She walked out of the room and left the safehouse, going to her car. She fingered the paper that Sark had given her, then unlocked her door. She climbed in, started the engine, and headed for the airport.  
  
  
  
  
On the flight home, she thought about her bit of success with Simon. She had learned about her relationship with him, and she had also given him reason to believe that she felt the same way. She wondered how things would change between them now that they would be working side by side every day.  
  
  
She figured Simon's feelings toward her would deepen, but she wasn't sure if she would feel how she did earlier, when he had admitted he loved her, when she realized that the whole situation was very familiar to her. She didn't know if it was just a fluke or if she was beginning to recall some of her memories from the past two years.  
  
  
She decided she would think about it later, since she knew she was going to have to deal with the wrath of her father and Dixon and attempt to explain to them why she had left, what had happened, and what they could expect to happen.  
  
  
She squeezed her eyes shut. It wasn't going to be fun.  
  
  
  
  
"You;'re back," Weiss said from the couch when Sydney walked in later that day.  
  
  
"Yeah;, and I would love to know why you're here," Sydney snapped. Weiss shrugged. "Well; anyway, I actually have to talk to my father, tell him what I found out." Sydney walked past Weiss with her suitcase intending to leave it in her room.  
  
  
"Wait.;" Weiss stood up and stopped Sydney with a hand on her arm. Sydney turned and looked at him expectantly. Weiss gestured for Sydney to sit down with him on the couch.  
  
  
Weiss sat down first and Sydney sat next to him, hands in her lap. She looked at Weiss. "Something; wrong?"  
  
  
"I; just wanted to apologize for the way I acted yesterday," he said sheepishly.  
  
  
"It;'s all right," Sydney reassured him, "and; it was my fault anyway—I overreacted and I was a bitch about the whole thing."  
  
  
Weiss shook his head. "Syd;, no, it wasn't your fault. I was really an asshole, and I'm sorry."  
  
  
"I; think we were both idiots," Sydney admitted. "Let;'s just call it even."  
  
  
"Deal;," Weiss agreed.  
  
  
Sydney leaned back against the couch, and let out a heavy sigh. Weiss draped his arm over the back of the couch and lightly touched his fingertips to Sydney's hair.  
  
  
"You; okay?"  
  
  
"Yeah;, I'm fine. Just tired."  
  
  
Weiss nodded knowingly. "Ah.;" He brought his other hand to his mouth to suppress a chuckle.  
  
  
Sydney punched him in the chest playfully, a grin on her lips. "Stop; it."  
  
  
"Sorry;," Weiss said, unable to hide the laughter in his voice. "So;, um, how did the trip go?" Sydney scoffed and Weiss said, "Seriously.;"  
  
  
"It; was fine."  
  
  
"Yeah;?"  
  
  
"Yeah.;" Sydney and Weiss lapsed into a companionable silence for a bit, then Sydney got up, announcing that she had to speak with her father and Dixon.  
  
  
"Whoa;, whoa, hold on a minute," Weiss burst out, standing up as well. "You; obviously found something out, seeing as you're so eager to go share it with everyone." Sydney visibly gulped and Weiss frowned at her. "Come; on, Syd. Tell me."  
  
  
Sydney shook her head and said sadly, "I; can't."  
  
  
Weiss looked at her for a long moment, as if expecting her to elaborate. He considered asking her to, but ultimately decided against it and just squeezed her shoulder. "Okay.;"  
  
  
Sydney smiled lightly and walked to the door.  
  
  
  
  
In a matter of minutes, Sydney was pulling into the parking garage. She found a space and killed the engine, then got out of her car and marched through the garage and into the CIA, her heels clicking on the floor.  
  
  
She ran into Lauren and did her best to hide her annoyance of the small talk she would have to endure before she could speak with her father. Her attention was focused on giving her father the information she had retrieved and she wasn't at all happy about having to be distracted. "Hi;," she said, flashing her dimples.  
  
  
"Hi;," Lauren replied, returning Sydney's smile with a slight blush in her cheeks. "Listen;, I wanted to truly thank you for being honest with me earlier. I know that Michael would have beat around the bush because he wouldn't be sure how to explain the situation without it coming across the wrong way."  
  
  
"Oh;, of course," Sydney said, nodding. "I; mean, I didn't want you to believe that I would actually hurt him when I—" she caught herself, noticed Lauren's suddenly arched eyebrow, and recovered with, "when; I care about him as much as I do. He's a true friend."  
  
  
Lauren smiled again and Sydney relinquished her gaze from Lauren's and eagerly scanned the room for any signs of her father. Lauren noticed Sydney's darting eyes and said bitterly, "I;'m sorry for keeping you. Obviously there are more important things that your attention requires." She walked off, leaving Sydney standing there, stunned.  
  
  
Taking a deep breath and trying to forget the last sentence uttered by Lauren Reed, she stalked through the rotunda.  
  
  
  
  
Sark, meanwhile, was back at his apartment. He had called Allison, but she wasn't home. He wasn't going to tell Allison that he had learned from Sydney that she had been the one to kill his father, but he would have liked someone to talk to, rather than having to settle for drowning his mixture of grief, shock, and anger in a bottle of scotch.  
  
  
He pulled the bottle out of his liquor cabinet along with a small tumbler. He uncapped the bottle and poured some of the liquid into the glass. He raised it to his lips and downed it in one swallow.  
  
  
He poured more into the glass and set the bottle down, taking the glass with him over to the couch. He sipped his scotch this time, letting the liquid slide down his throat. He sighed, put his feet up on the coffee table, and sunk far down into the couch, his chin on his chest.  
  
  
Briefly, he closed his eyes and thought about what working with Sydney Bristow meant—especially when that was coupled with them both working for the Covenant.  
  
  
He could destroy her if he wanted. And right now, that option was looking pretty damn good.  
  
  
  
  
Sydney found her father alone in a conference room, going over notes of some kind. She had been lucky to avoid Dixon, as she wanted to talk to her father before she told Dixon about her unauthorized second excursion to see Simon—if she mentioned it at all.  
  
  
She could lie and just say she took a one-day trip to clear her head from everything that had happened in the past few days. It was viable, and she hoped Dixon would believe it.  
  
  
She walked over to her father. Tentatively, she asked, "Dad;?" He didn't look up and Sydney took a seat next to him, fully aware that her stomach was churning. "I; need to talk to you." He still didn't make any attempt to acknowledge her. "Dad;!"  
  
  
Jack looked up, searched his daughter's confused eyes. He squinted. "You; left," he said simply.  
  
  
Sydney nodded. "That;'s what I need to talk to you about." Jack didn't seem to listen.  
  
  
"You; left without a word, Sydney."  
  
  
"I; know, but it was an impulse thing. Simon called me and—"  
  
  
"Simon;?" Jack nearly spat. "Weiss; told me you left town to get some perspective on recent events."  
  
  
"Technically;, that's true," Sydney told him, and realized she hadn't even thought about what Weiss was going to say about where she went, "but; the full truth is that Simon called me and told me he wanted to see me. I agreed, and went to see him. I told Weiss where I was going." She sighed, looked down at the table. "He; didn't object, but he didn't approve, either."  
  
  
Jack gave a derisive snort. "You; sound surprised that he didn't want you to go on an unauthorized mission to see a dangerous informant."  
  
  
Sydney clamped down hard on her tongue. "The; point is, I went to see Simon, and I found out that the reason I left—the reason 'Julia' left—was that she wanted more from the relationship than Simon was willing to give." Jack's eyes had taken on a look somewhere between shocked and confused. "Apparently;, now, he's willing to take things further."  
  
  
Jack gathered up the papers he had been studying and stuffed them into a folder. "So; Simon has—feelings—for Julia."  
  
  
"Dad;, he's in love with me—her." Jack looked at her. "Really.; It goes far beyond him just having feelings for her."  
  
  
Jack asked, "And; he believes that you, as Julia, still feel the same way as before you left?" Sydney nodded and Jack said nothing.  
  
  
"There;'s more," Sydney confessed. Jack waited. "Sark; talked to me."  
  
  
Jack looked up in surprise. "What; do you mean Sark talked to you? How did he contact you?"  
  
  
"Well;, it wasn't so much that Sark contacted me so much as it was Sark found me." Sydney swallowed nervously, unsure of how deep she would have to get into the details without revealing her tryst with Simon.  
  
  
"How; did he find you?" Jack demanded.  
  
  
"He;—well, I spent the night in Simon's safehouse. The next morning, Sark was there and Simon was gone. He must have left sometime during the night while I was sleeping."  
  
  
"What; did Sark tell you?"  
  
  
Sydney took a deep breath. "He; wants me to work with him and Simonfor the Covenant."  
  
  
Jack stood abruptly. "The; Covenant," he said aloud. "Sydney;, what did you tell him?"  
  
  
"I; didn't really have a choice except to say 'yes.'"  
  
  
Jack kept his anger and frustration in check. "So; you justagreed?"  
  
  
"Dad;, there's even more to it than that," Sydney said softly. "Sark; has always been mysterious. We've never really known his motives for anything that he's done. I think I know his motive for this."  
  
  
"Enlighten; me."  
  
  
"He; told me that his goal at the moment was to find out who murdered his father. He said he believed that while working for the Covenant, he might be able to gather information and find out. I told him the truth, and I made it clear to him that it happened during the two years I was missing."  
  
  
Jack tried to process this information. told himthat you killed his father?"  
  
  
Sydney saw the mixture of anger and disappointment in what she had done in her father's eyes. "Yes;, I did." Jack was silent and Sydney spoke again, "We; talked about me working as a double-agent against the Covenant. Sark knew that that would be what I was going to do. He told me I must be wondering whose side he was on, and I told him that I was, and that if he wanted, I could help him get revenge for what they did to his father." Jack was still silent. "Dad;, this is the perfect opportunity to take down the Covenant and find out what happened to me during those years."  
  
  
Jack finally said, "Sydney;, what you obviously didn't think about, was that the Covenant already knows who you are, and would clearly recognize you when you meet with whomever you meet with. Remember, they already know your alias of Julia Thorne."  
  
  
"Yes;, but I don't have to actually see the people who run the Covenant. I can make it clear to Sark that I'll work with them anonymously and pass the information to Sark or Simon to give it to—"  
  
  
Jack interrupted, "Simon; Walker is a part of this?"  
  
  
"Yes.;"  
  
  
"  
  
  
"Dad;, I don't see any other choice right now," Sydney said, her tone harsh. "Either; we take this chance, or we continue to move at a snail's pace in finding out what happened to me."  
  
  
Jack met his daughter's gaze. "Dixon; will never approve this."  
  
  
Sydney sighed, resigned. "I; know."  
  
  
Jack looked pointedly at her. "Then; what are you suggesting?"  
  
  
Sydney looked at him thoughtfully. "I;'m suggesting that maybe we do this on our own."  
  
  
"How; will that even work?" Jack questioned haughtily. "You; can't honestly believe that Dixon will just dismiss your long-term absence and think nothing of it."  
  
  
"I;'ll take a leave of absence for a while. I'll say that I'm just not really ready to deal with the turmoil that's already beginning to boil over. I'll tell him I'm taking off somewhere to just be alone and work things out."  
  
  
Jack nodded, seeing the opportunistic loophole. "Then; when the Covenant is taken down, we'll reveal that we were the ones behind the operation."  
  
  
"Yes.;"  
  
  
"I;'m not a fan of putting your life in danger to—"  
  
  
"Dad;, I'll be fine," Sydney assured him. "I;'ve been a spy for over a decade now—I'd like to think I know what I'm doing."  
  
  
Jack's features revealed the barest hint of a smile. "That; would be ideal."  
  
  
Sydney smiled and stood up to hug her father. "Thanks;, Dad," she whispered.  
  
  
Jack didn't reply, only held her. Dixon walked in, surprised to see Sydney with Jack.  
  
  
"Sydney;, you're back already."  
  
  
Sydney pulled back, startled, and shared a look with her father before turning to face Dixon. "Yes;, but it's not for long."  
  
  
Dixon raised an eyebrow. "What; do you mean?"  
  
  
"I; came here to request a leave of absence for a while. I need to get myself together. I can't really handle things right now."  
  
  
Dixon looked at her for a few moments, definitely not expecting her to say what she had just said, to seemingly give up when things got too difficult. It wasn't the Sydney he knew. He searched her eyes. "Are; you sure this is what you want?" he said finally.  
  
  
Sydney nodded. "I; need to collect myself and get my head back in the game so I can focus on my job. And I know that I can't do that right now. I need to be away from it for a while."  
  
  
Dixon pursed his lips and gave a slight nod of his head in understanding. "All; right, well, take care of yourself, Syd."  
  
  
"I; will." She smiled slightly. "Thanks.;"  
  
  
"Of; course."  
  
  
Sydney walked out and Jack stayed behind. Sydney assumed that Dixon was going to question her father further about the decision and that he was going to be certain that the plan went according to what they had discussed.  
  
  
She walked out into the rotunda and spotted Lauren talking to a tech guy. She went over to her. "Lauren;," she said, by way of getting her attention.  
  
  
Lauren turned to look at Sydney and frowned. "Sydney.;"  
  
  
"Hi;," Sydney all but whispered, smiling a bit. To her relief, Lauren managed to return the smile.  
  
  
"Hi.;"  
  
  
"I; wanted to apologize," Sydney began, "for; basically blowing you off earlier. I needed to talk to my father and Dixon, and I was just so focused on doing that that I ended up coming off as rude towards you, like I didn't want to talk to you. I'm sorry."  
  
  
"It;'s fine." Sydney wasn't convinced, so Lauren smiled again, touched Sydney's arm and said, "Really;, it's all right." She looked at Sydney for a moment, then asked, "I; don't want you to think I'm prying, but what was it that was so urgent?"  
  
  
Sydney sighed a bit and said, "I;'m going away for a while. I'm taking a leave of absence from the CIA."  
  
  
Lauren was genuinely taken aback. "Why;, Sydney?"  
  
  
Sydney tried to smile. "I; just—I need to get away. I mean, I know it sounds like a cop-out, but I just need to just be away from the CIA for a while."  
  
  
Lauren nodded solemnly. "I; understand."  
  
  
Sydney nodded as well. "Yeah.;" She turned to go and Lauren stopped her with a hand on her arm. She took a piece of paper and pen from her jacket pocket and began scribbling.  
  
  
"I; want you to have this," she said, handing it over, "and; I want you to call me if you need anything, anything at all. Please."  
  
  
Sydney blinked and was surprised to find her gaze marred by unshed tears. She hugged Lauren. "Thank; you," she said, "really;—thank you." She pulled back and looked at Lauren for a long moment before turning to leave.  
  
  
She reached her car in the parking garage and dug into her pocket for her keys. Her fingers brushed the paper Sark had given her. She pulled it out and looked at it while she unlocked her door. There was a cell phone number on it.  
  
  
She got into her car and started the engine, heading for home.  
  
  
**A/N:** Aw.. I love Lauren. The Syd/Jack plan should be interesting. For everyone wondering, the Sarkney will arrive eventually.. I have a HUGE plan for it.. it'll be kinda bittersweet when it happens, though.. you'll see;P  
  
I'm gonna work on 'Scars,' try to get a new chapter done. I'm glad I finished 'F.P.' so I only have two uncompleted fics now. Whee.. the new ep looks good. What's weird is that it doesn't feel like two weeks have passed.. maybe I'm just not as excited about this show as I used to be. Normally, right now, I'd spend the whole day moping, not really wanting to do anything, just looking at the clock to see if it's 9 yet. But actually, I'm just writing and enjoying the day.  
  
*sigh* I miss the old Alias. The Alias before "Phase; One." When the show didn't suck. Er, I mean..when the show didn't jump the shark. No, wait, when the show didn't suddenly want to appease the S/Vers.. Wait wait.. I know there's a better way to say this.. when the show didn't abandon the freaking PREMISE to get S/V together for NO REASON other than wanting to appeal to the S/Vers who only care about S/V and still call themselves "fans.;"  
  
Ugh.  
  
I miss Brad, I miss Merrin, I miss Lena. Instead of old regs, we get a bullshit love triangle that only the S/Vers truly give a shit about. I love Melissa George, I really do, but I hate that she's stuck in a role that requires her character to be detested by anyone who wants S/V together.  
  
What I don't get is, the writers always insist they listen to the fans. Pfft. They think every single "fan;" is an S/Ver. There are a lot of S/Vers, granted, but there are also a HELL OF A LOT of people who could care less about S/V.  
  
Bullshit. Freaking bullshit.  
  
*hugs everyone*  
  
~E  
  
P.S. Sorry about my rant, but I've been really disillusioned by this show since "Phase; One." I used to eagerly anticipate every episode, and now even watching it seems like a chore.  
  
Oh well.


	9. Making Plans

**Nine  
  
Making Plans  
  
  
  
  
**

Sark had downed half the bottle of scotch. He had gotten up to pour himself another glass and had instead taken the whole bottle back over to the couch. He had called Allison, and she still wasn't home. He needed her now more than ever, even though he had made the decision not to tell her that Sydney had killed his father.  
  
  
He was smart enough to know that Allison cared for him enough to knock off anyone who hurt him in any way, because the same applied to him. He took a long drink from the bottle then set it down. There was knock at the door.  
  
  
Sighing, he got up and went to answer it. To his relief, it was Allison, all smiles. He drew her inside and kissed her hard. Allison kissed back, mumbling that he had obviously been drinking. Sark's hands moved down to grip her ass and she kicked the door shut with her foot. He pulled her over to the arm of couch and started ripping off her clothes.  
  
  
Allison was gentle at first, slowly unbuttoning Sark's shirt, but then she followed his lead of ripping everything off, when she saw the raw and feral look in his eyes. Sark licked at Allison's neck and breasts, then devoured a nipple in his mouth. Allison moaned, and Sark reached down to guide his fingers inside of her. His thumb sought out her nub, and Allison threw her head back, the pleasure intense.  
  
  
Sark's free hand roamed Allison's body and when he felt her begin to tremble, he removed his fingers abruptly. Allison looked at him questioningly, and he claimed her lips in a rough kiss before grabbing her hips and turning her around.  
  
  
Allison rested her forearms on the couch arm and Sark grabbed her hips again, thrusting himself inside of her with so much force that Allison nearly lost her balance. Sark wasted no time, and made his pace as rough as his entrance. Her heat enveloped him, making him forget about Sydney for the moment.  
  
  
His breathing grew ragged and he had to find another grip for his hands because they were slipping. He reached under Allison and tweaked her nipples before taking both breasts in his hands. That was all it took, and Allison's muscles were clenching around him as he spilled himself inside of her.  
  
  
As he was coming down from his high, his cell phone rang. Allison groaned loudly and Sark pulled out of her. He picked up his phone.  
  
  
"It;'s Sydney," he announced.  
  
  
"Why; is she calling you?"  
  
  
"I; told her to call me if she had any questions." Allison just shook her head and Sark shrugged as he answered the phone. "Hello;, Sydney."  
  
  
"Sark;, we need to talk."  
  
  
"All; right," he said without the slightest bit of hesitation. "Where; should we meet?"  
  
  
"I; don't know," Sydney admitted, "I; was hoping you would know a place."  
  
  
"I;'ll have to fly out there. I'll call you when I arrive. We'll talk at the Palisades."  
  
  
"Okay.;" She hung up.  
  
  
Sark set down his phone and looked at Allison. "I; have to go."  
  
  
  
  
Sydney drove home and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her apartment was empty. She plunked herself down on the couch, put a pillow underneath her head and exhaled deeply. She closed her eyes, wanting to take a short nap before she went to tell Weiss that she would be leaving for a while.  
  
  
Just then, she heard the toilet flush and the sound of running water. "Son; of a bitch," she whispered. She plastered a smile on her face when Weiss walked into the living room.  
  
  
"I; thought I heard the door," he said.  
  
  
"Yeah;," Sydney muttered.  
  
  
Weiss walked over to the couch and looked pointedly at Sydney, as she was stretched across the length of the cushions. Sydney looked at him, but didn't budge. Weiss nudged her ankle. "Scoot.;"  
  
  
Sydney all but rolled her eyes and sat up, leaning against the arm of the couch and drawing her knees to her chest. Weiss sat down and Sydney glared at him. "Not; that I don't enjoy you being here all the time, but you do have an apartment next door."  
  
  
"I; know," Weiss said simply.  
  
  
Sydney tilted her head to the side. "Why; don't you try using it once in a while?"  
  
  
Weiss looked hurt. He started to stand up, but Sydney caught his arm. He looked at her. "I; thought you wanted me to go."  
  
  
Sydney sighed. "I;'m going through a rough time. Sometimes I just need my space."  
  
  
"I; understand that," Weiss told her, "but; I worry about you."  
  
  
Sydney raised an eyebrow. "Why;?"  
  
  
Weiss turned towards her and leaned in a little. "I; worry about you because of Vaughn and Lauren and how hard it must be for you to see them together, especially when you're trying to make sense of what the hell happened during the time you lost."  
  
  
Sydney stared into Weiss' eyes. "This; has nothing to do with Vaughn."  
  
  
Weiss' brow knitted in confusion. "What; do you mean, 'this'? Define 'this.'"  
  
  
Sydney gave a slight nod, knowing that it was time for her to spill the lie about needing to be away to understand things. "I;'m going away for a while. I need to get away from the spy crap so that I can start making sense of the whole two years lost thing, and be able to focus on finding out what happened to me."  
  
  
"Wow;," Weiss breathed.  
  
  
Sydney stared. "What;?"  
  
  
Weiss gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "I; don't know, I guess I just never expected you to give up when things got too difficult."  
  
  
Sydney pressed her lips together in a thin line, trying to avoid the urge to lash out at Weiss. Instead, she simply muttered, "You; don't know me at all." She stood up.  
  
  
"Syd;, that's not fair."  
  
  
"Why; not?" she demanded. "You; and I have known each other for four years now, if we count the two I was gone, and we've said more to each other in this conversation than we have over that time."  
  
  
Weiss narrowed his eyes. "I; got to know you through Mike. I learned a lot about you from him, which, to me, made up for you and I never really talking."  
  
  
"Look;," Sydney began, "what; I'm saying is, I don't know if I'm truly comfortable with you making judgments about me when you've never gotten to know me."  
  
  
"Sydney;, I seriously doubt that I'm the only one who thinks you wouldn't give up this easily." He sighed. "Jesus;, Sydney, Vaughn wouldn't even expect this from you."  
  
  
Sydney huffed, "I; don't care what Vaughn expects from me."  
  
  
"Yes;, you do, Syd," Weiss said softly. "You; might not want to admit it, but you do care, like it or not."  
  
  
Sydney was silent for a few moments, then declared, "I;'m taking a shower and then I'm leaving. I don't know where I'm going and I don't know when I'll be back."  
  
  
"Fine;," Weiss said, raising his hands. "I; guess I'll see you." He turned and walked out the door, slamming it hard behind him.  
  
  
Sydney winced and looked at her feet. She hadn't meant to be so hard on Weiss—the words had just come pouring out. She almost wished she had lied to him about him not really knowing her, and had just gone along with what he had said. But she knew she was right—Weiss didn't know a damn thing about her. Any tidbit he had picked up about her had come from Vaughn.  
  
  
She wished for a moment that Weiss and Vaughn weren't that close.  
  
  
She looked up at the ceiling and wandered into the bathroom. She turned the shower on and stripped off her clothes. She was grateful that the water didn't take very long to heat up, and stepped into the shower.  
  
  
  
  
Sark was well on his way to the airport. He looked around at the bustles of people. He sighed and kept walking. He thought about Sydney. He wondered what she wanted to talk to him about. He wondered if she would back out.  
  
  
He dared her to back out. He knew she would have to invent a speech for Simon, to explain why she wasn't going to be involved in the opportunity to work for the Covenant. He honestly wondered if Simon would follow through on what he had said about betrayal.  
  
  
_Sark grinned. "You;'re welcome." He rubbed his chin and asked thoughtfully, "If; she was lying to you, what would you do?"  
  
  
Simon looked at Sark, then grabbed another cigarette and lit it. He took a long drag, drawing it out, then exhaled. He flicked the ashes out the window. "Same; thing I would do to anyone else who betrayed me—I'd kill her."  
  
  
Sark chuckled and patted Simon's arm. "Then; I hope for Julia's sake that she's not double-crossing you."  
  
  
Simon nodded, a wistful expression on his face. "Me; too."  
  
_  
A smile appeared on Sark's lips. He would have to make sure he told Sydney to play nice with Allison—or he'd kill her himself.  
  
  
  
  
Sydney was washing her hair when she heard several insistent knocks on the front door. She groaned loudly, presuming it was Weiss, and rinsed her hair quickly. She heard several more knocks, although now it sounded like someone was beating on her door with a baseball bat. She shut off the water and threw on her robe so she could venture out to the living room and see who was at the door.  
  
  
She was turning the knob and muttering, "Weiss;, I told you I was—" when she saw her father standing before her. "Dad;," she breathed, genuinely surprised. She was about to ask him in when he breezed by her and began giving her a more thorough rundown of the plan to disengage the Covenant. She closed the door and walked over to her father. "Give; me a minute, and then we can talk." Jack nodded and Sydney went to her room.  
  
  
She shed her robe and threw on a pair of jeans and a tank top, then went back out into the living room. Her father was sitting on the couch. She joined him, running her fingers through her wet hair. "Okay;, start over."  
  
  
"As; you've probably deduced by now, the Covenant's headquarters are in Mexico City. Obviously, that's where you'll be going. I took the liberty of renting you an apartment." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a slip of paper with an address written on it. He gave it to her. "I;'m assuming you've contacted Sark, and have either told him or intend to tell him, that you will be working for the Covenant anonymously. If he disagrees, the operation is dead. If he agrees, you need to ensure that he won't betray you by tell the Covenant who you are." He paused to look at his daughter and see if she was registering his words. "With; any luck," he continued, "we;'ll be able to uncover the truth about your lost time as well as shut down the Covenant."  
  
  
Sydney nodded. "Good.;" Jack looked at the carpet, appearing to study a spot on it, but Sydney knew he was pondering something. She looked pointedly at him. "What;'s up?"  
  
  
Jack met his daughter's gaze. "I; was just thinking about your first meeting with Simon Walker, a few days ago. I didn't get to ask you how that operation went."  
  
  
Sydney gulped. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the mission had gone astoundingly well. From a deep cover operative standpoint, she had only managed to discover where Simon and Julia had first met. Thus, it was basically a failure.  
  
  
"We; met in Algeria," she told him. "Simon; and Julia, that is. That was all I was able to find out."  
  
  
"A; bust," Jack said with a slight nod.  
  
  
"Pretty; much, yeah," Sydney agreed, but couldn't ignore the flutter in her stomach at the mere mention of Simon's name. She was beginning to be like Julia more and more—at least in the "having; feelings for Simon" department.  
  
  
A part of her thought it was exhilarating. Despite the fact that Simon wasn't a by-the-books "good;" guy, or at least a guy who wasn't rogue, she found herself attracted to him. There was a certain "duh;" factor in that sentence. It was obvious that she would be attracted to him. She just found it interesting that she was slowly and steadily falling for a man who went against every principle and quality she had prided herself on embodying.  
  
  
Her father's voice snapped her out of her reverie. "Sydney.;"  
  
  
"Yeah;?"  
  
  
Jack handed her plane tickets. "You; need to leave right now. Your flight is in an hour."  
  
  
Sydney froze. Sark was probably on his way to Los Angeles. "Shit;," she muttered, and stood up. She ignored her father's concerned look and picked up her cell phone. She dialed Sark's number. He answered on the second ring.  
  
  
"Hello;?"  
  
  
"Sark;, there's been a change of plans. Where are you?"  
  
  
A slight hesitation, then, "Mexico; City."  
  
  
"Good.; I'll meet you there." She disconnected the call, not giving Sark a chance to respond. She snatched up her keys and stuffed them into a back pocket of her jeans. She grabbed her suitcase and looked at her father who had just stood up and was straightening his jacket. She set down her suitcase and went over to her father, flinging her arms around his neck.  
  
  
She pulled back and Jack said, "Call; me when you get there."  
  
  
"I; will," she assured him. "I; love you."  
  
  
"I; love you too, sweetheart."  
  
  
Sydney smiled briefly at him, picked up her suitcase, and walked out the door.  
  
  
**A/N:** *sigh* I love father/daughter stuff. Anyways, how was y'all's Thanksgiving? Mine was good, except that the 'rents fought the whole damn time. My birthday on Wednesday was good too, except that the 'rents fought the whole damn time.  
  
Oh well. Such is life.  
  
  
~E


	10. Discussion

**Ten  
  
Discussion  
  
  
  
  
**

A few hours later, Sydney had arrived in Mexico City. She hadn't checked in her suitcase, so she got off the plane and started walking through the airport. She pulled out her cell phone, intending to call Sark once she got outside, and was startled to find him sitting in a nearby chair, waiting for her, dressed in a white polo and khaki slacks.  
  
  
"Greetings.;"  
  
  
Sydney stopped when she was a few feet away from him. "How; long have you been here?"  
  
  
"Since; you called."  
  
  
"That; long?" Sydney asked, her tone disbelieving. Sark nodded, smirking. She smirked back. "Obviously; you have no life."  
  
  
Sark pretended to appear wounded. "Sydney;, you know that *you're* my life." He couldn't quite keep a straight face, so now he was smiling slightly.  
  
  
Sydney said simply, "Shut; up, Sark."  
  
  
Sark got down to business. "Tell; me why you're here."  
  
  
"Let;'s talk somewhere else."  
  
  
Sark nodded, grabbed Sydney's suitcase, and motioned for her to follow. Sydney protested that she could carry her own suitcase, but Sark wasn't having it. Once outside, Sark put Sydney's suitcase in the trunk of his car and opened the front passenger door for her to get in.  
  
  
He ignored her death glare, and shut the door once she had gotten in. He went around and climbed into the driver's seat. Sydney looked at him.  
  
  
"Where; are we going?"  
  
  
"Safehouse.;"  
  
  
Sydney gave a slight nod in concurrence, and Sark sped off.  
  
  
  
  
Jack was sitting at his computer in the Joint Task Force when Vaughn walked up to him. "I; heard the news," Vaughn said. "Dixon; told me Sydney left."  
  
  
Blatantly ignoring Vaughn's words, Jack stood up with a folder of papers and gave Vaughn a quick eyeball. "You;'re functional already?" he asked. "I; didn't think you'd be up and about for a few more days at the least." He started to walk away, and Vaughn stopped him.  
  
  
"Tell; me what's going on," he said. "Tell; me why Sydney just left."  
  
  
Jack stared. "You; said Dixon told you she left. I'm assuming he already gave you the details as to why she's gone."  
  
  
"Yes;," Vaughn admitted, "but; I would think you know me better than that to think that I would just believe that Sydney would take off because her life suddenly got too hard."  
  
  
"She;'s never dealt with anything like this before, Agent Vaughn. There's no doubt that she is strong."  
  
  
"I; know that," Vaughn snapped, "that;'s why I don't understand why Sydney would—"  
  
  
Jack cut him off, and said firmly, "Sydney; is handling this in her own way. Respect her decision."  
  
  
Vaughn fumed. "I; *will* respect her decision once you tell me the real reason as to why she left. I know you're not telling me everything."  
  
  
"It; is not your place," Jack began, "to; continue to worry about Sydney as if she were still dating you."  
  
  
"That;'s not what I'm doing, Jack," Vaughn said slowly. "I; loved your daughter in the past, and just because two years went by, it doesn't mean I stopped caring about her."  
  
  
"I; will not permit you to act as if nothing's changed, to make Sydney be in more pain than she already is. You don't seem to realize that whatever relationship you had with my daughter was severed by time." Jack paused a moment, seeing right through Vaughn as Vaughn tried to fix him with an icy glare, but only managed to come off as menacing as a teddy bear. "You; have a wife, Mr. Vaughn. Learn to understand what it means to be a husband and leave my daughter alone." He walked away with Vaughn looking pained as he stared down at his feet.  
  
  
  
  
Sydney gulped when she and Sark arrived at the safehouse. "Simon;'s not here, is he?"  
  
  
"No;," Sark answered.  
  
  
"Thank; God," Sydney mumbled. She couldn't talk to Sark about her plan if Simon was there. She needed to have Sark be the one to tell Simon about her plan.  
  
  
"What;'s the big deal, Sydney?" Sark asked. "I; figured you'd want to see him."  
  
  
"Oh;, I do," Sydney said, nodding, "just; not until after you and I talk."  
  
  
"Let;'s get to it, then."  
  
  
  
  
Once Vaughn had gotten his bearings, he decided to pay a visit to Weiss and see if he knew anything or suspected that something was amiss. Lauren spotted him.  
  
  
"There; you are," she said. "I;'ve been looking all over for you."  
  
  
"I; was talking to Jack," he admitted.  
  
  
"Is; something wrong?" Lauren asked, concern knitting her brow.  
  
  
"It;'s just—" Vaughn pinched the bridge of his nose. "I; don't understand why Sydney would just leave. It isn't like her to throw in the towel."  
  
  
"I; talked to her," Lauren told him. Vaughn looked at her, an expression of surprise on his face.  
  
  
"You; talked to Sydney before she left?"  
  
  
"Yes.;"  
  
  
"What; did she say?"  
  
  
"She; said that she needed to be alone for a while. She said she couldn't focus with the way things are right now." Lauren looked down. "I; think it might have something to do with you and me. I know she still has feelings for you, and I think that it hurts her to see us together."  
  
  
"No;," Vaughn said, shaking his head, "Sydney;'s stronger than that. *Better* than that. I don't think that us being together is why she left."  
  
  
"What; are you saying, then?" Lauren asked. "Do; you think she might be planning something?"  
  
  
"I; don't know," Vaughn ceded, sighing softly. "But; if she is, you can bet that Jack Bristow knows all about it."  
  
  
  
  
Sydney stretched out on the couch in the safehouse, while Sark took a seat in an adjacent recliner. He looked at her, noting how peaceful she appeared, and snarked, "Tuckered; out, are we?"  
  
  
Sydney cracked a smile and replied, "A; tad, yes." She held Sark's gaze for a moment, then looked away at the same instant Sark did. "We; need to make some changes in this whole 'working for the Covenant' plan."  
  
  
"Such; as?"  
  
  
Sydney folded her arms behind her head and glanced up at the ceiling. She could feel Sark's gaze on her. "The; Covenant already knows who I am. They'll recognize me if I appear before them." She looked at Sark to see if he was following what she was telling him. He gave her a nod of acknowledgment. "So;, I propose that I work with them anonymously. Tell them you have an asset who's interested in doing jobs for them, and that I'll work through you. I'll get my assignments through you, and you'll pass along whatever I obtain, all the while not mentioning who I am."  
  
  
Sark chuckled lightly. "I;'m guessing that you or you and your CIA buddies have devised a double-agent scenario already." Sydney grinned at him. "I;'m impressed."  
  
  
"Oh; come on, Sark," Sydney jested, "you; wouldn't expect anything less from me and you know it."  
  
  
Sark smiled at her and they locked eyes again. Neither turned away until Sark picked up a folder and began flipping through the papers in it. Sydney sat up and looked at it.  
  
  
"What;'s that?"  
  
  
Sark didn't detract his focus as he beckoned, "Come; look."  
  
  
Sydney frowned in distaste but stood up all the same. She walked over to Sark and nudged his elbow off the arm of the chair so she could sit down. She grabbed the folder from him and propped it on her lap. She noticed Sark fixing her with an annoyed glare out of the corner of her eye. She ignored him and studied the papers.  
  
  
Sark pulled the handle back on the recliner.  
  
  
Sydney lost her balance as the foot rest swung up fast and caused her to nearly fall into Sark's lap. Sydney grunted in annoyance. Sark hid a grin.  
  
  
"Comfy;?"  
  
  
Sydney turned towards him, narrowing her eyes, and was vaguely aware of how close Sark's lips were to hers. She turned away and shoved Sark's leg over, grateful that there was room for the both of them. She sat with one of her legs on the footrest and the other draped over the arm of the chair.  
  
  
She considered herself lucky to be wearing jeans. A skirt would have been tragic.  
  
  
"So;," she began, "anytime; you want to start going over this"  
  
  
"'Course," said Sark, as he snatched the folder from her and laid it across his right leg and her left. He flipped back to the first page.  
  
  
"Looks; like a recon op," Sydney noted, and Sark nodded.  
  
  
"Should; be pretty simple," Sark said. "I;'ll notify the Covenant of the new arrangement regarding you, and then we'll talk to Simon."  
  
  
"Okay;," Sydney agreed, flipping to the next page to read more about the mission. She looked at Sark, saw him with his opposite elbow propped on the other arm of the chair, his fist supporting his chin. She looked at him for a long moment, wondering what he was thinking.  
  
  
She wondered if he hated her for what she had told him about his father.  
  
  
She wondered if he trusted her to make the whole Covenant operation work.  
  
  
She wondered if he had a plan to destroy her.  
  
  
She wondered if he was on her side.  
  
  
She saw him breathe in deeply, still looking away from her, and she sighed, realizing she didn't know him at all and she probably never would. "Sark;?" she said softly.  
  
  
Sark turned towards her, their faces inches apart. Sark pursed his lips and asked, "What;?"  
  
  
Sydney just stared at him for a few moments as if she could read into his entire soul just by looking at him. Her eyes flicked from his eyes down to his lips and back again, and Sydney swore she saw something more intense in them than she had seen just a moment before.  
  
  
She looked away. "Nothing.;"  
  
  
"Sydney.;"  
  
  
She looked at him again and shivered, the deep blue of his eyes going right through her. "It;'s really nothing," she insisted, looking down at the folder for lack of a safer place to focus her gaze.  
  
  
Sark leaned in and tilted his head down to meet Sydney's eyes. "Are; you worried about the mission?"  
  
  
Sydney lifted her eyes to Sark's. She realized they were close enough to kiss and wondered if that meant anything. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and admitted, "I; was actually thinking of asking aboutwhat I told you" Sark turned away as she trailed off and Sydney said earnestly, "I;'m really sorry."  
  
  
Sydney closed the folder and looked at Sark, unnerved at how still and silent he was. Without thinking, she grabbed his hand. Sark said nothing and didn't attempt to free his hand from Sydney's grasp. Sydney still looked at him even as he avoided her eyes.  
  
  
The front door opened then, and Sydney nearly leaped out of her seat, clearly startled. She saw that it was Simon, looking particularly good dressed all in black, a long coat draped over his arm. Sydney released Sark's hand before Simon could see, and climbed out of the chair awkwardly.  
  
  
Simon chuckled as Sydney walked over to him. "I; was going to say, you two looked awfully cozy there."  
  
  
"Nah;," Sydney countered, and slapped the folder against Simon's chest. He took it from her and raised an eyebrow. "Mission; specs," Sydney offered.  
  
  
"Ah;," Simon said, nodding. "First; mission already?" Simon asked, directing his question to Sark.  
  
  
"Yep;," Sark said, putting down the footrest and standing up. He walked to the door and looked back at Sydney and Simon. "I;'m going for a drive. I'll be back later."  
  
  
As soon as Sark had left, Simon had tossed the folder onto a small table and had begun kissing Sydney's neck as he worked to lift up her top. Sydney moved out of reach and picked up the folder, sneering at Simon.  
  
  
Simon pouted. "Do; we really have to do this now, babe?"  
  
  
Sydney stepped closer to him and wrapped her hand around Simon's crotch. "I;'ll make it worth your while." Simon gave her a half smile. Sydney relented, "Okay;, while you *read*, I'll make it worth your while."  
  
  
Simon smiled fully and kissed Sydney long and deep. He pulled back and took the folder from her, then plunked himself down on the couch, making himself comfortable as he opened the folder and began to read.  
  
  
Sydney knelt before him and pulled him closer as she began unzipping his pants. She pulled them down a bit and rose up slightly, leaning towards his tented boxers. "How;'re you doing?" she asked him, her hands on his legs.  
  
  
Simon peered over the top of the folder and told her, "We;'re infiltrating a building in London."  
  
  
"Uh; huh," Sydney murmured as she tugged down his boxers, exposing him. She let her fingers trace a path up his thigh. "What; else?"  
  
  
Simon groaned and answered, "Doesn;'t look like it'll be too hard."  
  
  
Sydney smirked and moved her hand closer to him, but not yet touching. "Sure; about that?"  
  
  
Simon grunted and decided, "It; could be harder than it looks."  
  
  
"I;'ll guess we'll see about that, won't we?" Sydney said, and curled her fingers around him, stroking him gently. She looked up at Simon and saw his eyes closed and his face contorted in pleasure as his mouth formed words of wanting. She moved her hand away and saw the confused look on Simon's face. She raised her eyebrows at him expectantly.  
  
  
Simon reluctantly continued reading. "The; Covenant wants something, but they're not really clear about exactly what it is."  
  
  
"Bummer; for us, I guess," Sydney said with a sigh.  
  
  
"Yeah;," Simon continued, "yeah;, they're really vague here." He turned the page and Sydney was nearly convinced that he was focused more on the folder than her. She squeezed him and Simon gulped. "Still; not clear on this page"  
  
  
"Damn;," Sydney muttered, and stroked him quicker. Simon mumbled her alias under his breath and managed to turn the page. He all but tossed the folder aside when Sydney wrapped her lips around him.  
  
  
Simon thrust into her mouth and his head rolled back when Sydney fondled his balls in just the right way. He saw her look up at him and was afraid she'd stop if he didn't finish reading everything in the folder. He had one page left but was rapidly losing interest. The lack of interest didn't just come from what was happening, it also stemmed from the fact that the papers in the folder beat around the bush about what the Covenant wanted retrieved.  
  
  
He almost thought that the whole mission might be a setup on the Covenant's part, but all rational thought was quickly erased because his orgasm was creeping up on him fast, and the way Sydney's mouth was working on him was suddenly becoming too much to handle.  
  
  
He burst right then and felt her throat working around him as he breathed heavily and thrust gently. She stood up and plopped down on the couch, taking the folder from him and tossing it aside. She let her head drop onto his shoulder.  
  
  
"Babe;?" Simon asked, zipping his pants. "You; all right?"  
  
  
Sydney looked up at him and smiled for his benefit. "Yeah;, I'm fine."  
  
  
"Okay;," Simon said, and pressed a kiss to her forehead as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He peered at her, not really believing her claim that she was indeed all right. He decided to find out what was wrong. "Julia;," he said softly.  
  
  
"Hm;?"  
  
  
"What;'s bothering you?"  
  
  
Sydney sat up then, fixing Simon with a confused stare. "Nothing;'s bothering me, Simon."  
  
  
"Not; the mission?"  
  
  
"It;'s not anything," Sydney insisted. "There;'s nothing wrong. I'm fine."  
  
  
"If; you say so," Simon muttered. He looked at her. "You;'re not even concerned that we have no idea what we're supposed to retrieve here?"  
  
  
Sydney gazed into his eyes. She hadn't given much thought to the vague nature of the mission specs, but she supposed she guessed that Sark would fill both her and Simon in. That is, if he even had the information. She raised an eyebrow at Simon. "Are; you saying we can't trust Andrew?"  
  
  
Simon shook his head and shrugged. "I;'m not sure what to believe. It's possible that our ally here isn't what he seems."  
  
  
"Or;," Sydney countered, "it;'s possible that the Covenant isn't what it seems."  
  
  
"Right;," Simon agreed.  
  
  
"So; what do we do?"  
  
  
Simon shrugged again. "It;'s up to you, babe."  
  
  
Sydney felt her blood run cold. "Why; me?"  
  
  
"Well;," Simon started, "if; you believe that everything's all right here, we'll go. If you believe something's a bit fishy, we won't." He tilted his head at her and affectionately squeezed her arm. "I; can always find us another job."  
  
  
Sydney nodded and looked down at her hands in her lap. She couldn't afford to say 'no' to this opportunity and squander the operation to shut down the Covenant before it even started. She would have to take any and all risks if she wanted to succeed.  
  
  
She looked up and saw that Simon was waiting for her answer. "We;'ll go." Simon nodded and kissed her, and Sydney found herself wondering if she was getting in too far over her head.  
  
  
**A/N:** Yay! I updated! I started this chapter on November 30th and finished it on December 15th. All the time in between was devoted to schoolwork and general laziness regarding this story. ;x Anyways, I've written up to chapter 12, and at the moment, I'm modifying that chapter. After 11 and 12, there will probably be a few more chapters to sort of tie everything together, and then it will end. I was thinking of having it be longer, but I need to work on 'Scars.' Plus, this story doesn't need to go on for much more than I have planned, anyway.  
  
Thank y'all for reading. ;)  
  
  
~E


	11. Trouble

**Eleven  
  
Trouble  
  
  
  
  
**

_No attorneys—to plead my case  
No opiates—to send me into outer space  
And my fingers are bejeweled  
With diamonds and gold but that ain't  
gonna help me now  
  
I'm trouble—yeah trouble now  
I'm trouble y'all, I disturb my town  
I'm trouble—yeah trouble now  
I'm trouble y'all, I got trouble in my town_  
  
"Trouble;"  
Pink**  
**

  
  


Sydney opened her eyes slowly and looked around. It was later that day and she and Simon had apparently drifted off to sleep together. She looked at him, saw that he was sleeping peacefully. She sat up as best she could as she was curled into his side.  
  
  
She touched the side of his face, felt a light stubble, and let her hand drop back into her lap. She thought about the relationship Julia and Simon had shared and briefly wondered what the consequences might be if she decided to slip back into the personality she had taken on during her two years and just forget about the CIA.  
  
  
She realized she could start a new life. She could leave everything behind and just start over completely. With the way things were going lately, along with her deepening feelings for Simon, the option seemed awfully attractive.  
  
  
She lifted her hand up again, sifted her fingers through his hair, then touched his face once more as she planted a kiss on his jaw. She settled in next to him again, laying her head on his shoulder and feeling his arm tighten around her in his sleep.  
  
  
Before she closed her eyes, she looked around the room and saw Sark perched in his recliner looking at her. She swallowed hard and felt a knot form in her gut. She was disturbed by the fact that she had been watched by Sark while she had a moment with sleeping Simon. She glared at him.  
  
  
"How; long have you been sitting there?"  
  
  
Sark shrugged his shoulders. "Not; long."  
  
  
"Huh;," Sydney murmured. She moved as carefully as she could and climbed over Simon's legs so she could stand up. She grabbed the mission specs folder and jerked her head for Sark to follow her.  
  
  
Sark didn't say a word and merely padded after her as she walked down the hallway leading to the other rooms in the safehouse. Sydney took a seat in the overstuffed chair in the single bedroom and Sark effortlessly leaped onto the bed, almost floating onto it as if he were a feather. He lay on his stomach, his chin propped up by a fist.  
  
  
"Problem; with the mission?" he asked Sydney.  
  
  
"I; just have a question," Sydney replied, crossing her legs and laying the folder open on her lap.  
  
  
"What;'s the question?"  
  
  
Sydney looked up and tilted her head slightly as she stared at Sark. She noticed how thoroughly confused he seemed to be about why she would have a question about the mission. She wondered if it was an act or if it was clear to him what the Covenant required.  
  
  
"What; exactly are we supposed to be retrieving?"  
  
  
"That;'s your question?" Sydney nodded. Sark laughed.  
  
  
"What;?" Sydney demanded.  
  
  
Sark flew from the bed and went over to Sydney. He knelt down beside her chair. "Sydney;, remember that I'll be going with you."  
  
  
Sydney raised both eyebrows. "You;'re coming with us? Since when?"  
  
  
Sark looked thoughtful as he rubbed his chin. "I; didn't tell you?"  
  
  
Sydney groaned and stood up. "No;, you didn't tell me."  
  
  
Sark got up as well. "Now; you know." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks.  
  
  
"This; still doesn't make sense," professed Sydney.  
  
  
"Why; not?"  
  
  
"Why; can't I know what we're getting?"  
  
  
"Do; you need to?"  
  
  
"Well; no shit, Sark. How else am I supposed to—"  
  
  
"Oh;, oh, right," Sark replied. "You; would probably need the CIA to duplicate it so you could hand over a fake." Sydney gave him a look and Sark smirked. "Oops.;"  
  
  
Sydney sighed. "So; obviously you're doing the retrieving and I'm supposed to be watching your back." Sark nodded. Sydney chuckled. "Yeah; right."  
  
  
To Sydney's surprise, Sark shared in her amusement. He asked, "You; want to switch?"  
  
  
"So; you can shoot me in the back?" Sydney scoffed. "Give; me a break."  
  
  
"All; right," Sark said with a nod. "Okay;, then, you and I will go get the item and Simon and Allison will cover us."  
  
  
Sydney's eyes nearly bugged out her head. "Allison;'s alive?" Sark nodded. Sydney lost her balance and landed on the bed. "Oh; my God"  
  
  
"I; thought I told you," Sark said, attempting to hide his knowing smirk.  
  
  
"No;, you didn't," Sydney said through gritted teeth.  
  
  
Sark turned up one corner of his mouth in a smile. "Oops.;"  
  
  
"Bastard.;"  
  
  
Sark sat down next to her and nudged her elbow with his. "I; honestly meant to tell you." Sydney glared at him. "Things; have been slipping my mind lately."  
  
  
Sydney leaned back, her hands palm-down on the mattress. "Anything; else you want to tell me that might be pertinent to this mission's success?"  
  
  
Sark leaned back as well, and scooted close to Sydney. He motioned for Sydney to lean in close as he had. She did, and he leaned in even closer to whisper conspiratorially into her ear, "Play; nice with my girlfriend."  
  
  
Sydney sat up immediately. "Your;—she's—she's your—" Sark folded his arms behind his head and lay back on the mattress. He smiled. "Christ;," she muttered.  
  
  
"Oh; relax," Sark said, nudging his leg against hers.  
  
  
"Whatever;," Sydney told him, and fell back against the mattress, exhaling sharply.  
  
  
Sark scooted up beside her, laying his head against his fist. "I; was thinking about what you said."  
  
  
Sydney turned her head towards him. She raised an eyebrow at him, begging him to elaborate.  
  
  
"Revenge;," Sark said simply, and Sydney nodded. "I; think I want it."  
  
  
"Good;," Sydney said, a smile playing on her lips, "because; I do, too."  
  
  
  
  
Vaughn and Lauren had driven over to Weiss' apartment and Lauren was knocking on the door. "Open; up, Eric," said Vaughn.  
  
  
Weiss finally opened the door, his shirt and shorts wrinkled. He rubbed his eyes and squinted. He looked at Vaughn. "Mike;?"  
  
  
Lauren jumped in, "We; need to talk to you."  
  
  
Weiss looked at her and mumbled, "Can;'t a guy get some sleep?"  
  
  
Lauren narrowed her eyes. "No.;"  
  
  
  
  
Jack walked out of the Joint Task Force and went to his car. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Sydney's number. He started his car and began to drive as the line rang.  
  
  
  
  
Back in the safehouse, Sydney pulled her cell phone out of her pocket while Sark looked questioningly at her. She answered the phone. "Hello;?"  
  
  
"It;'s me."  
  
  
Sydney looked at Sark as she said, "Dad;, hey." Sark grinned at her.  
  
  
"How; is it going?"  
  
  
"Great; so far," Sydney answered. "Everything; is right on schedule."  
  
  
Jack sighed a bit, relieved. "Good; to hear."  
  
  
"Yeah;," Sydney agreed.  
  
  
Jack was silent for a minute before he asked, "So;, everything is—"  
  
  
"Perfect;?" Sydney finished for him. "Absolutely.;"  
  
  
"Good.;" More silence. "See; you." He hung up.  
  
  
Sydney put her phone back in her pocket and looked at Sark. He was still smiling. She fell victim to the charm. She nudged his ankle with her foot. "What;?"  
  
  
"Nothing;," Sark replied. "Just; good to see that you have everything under control."  
  
  
Sydney hesitated a moment before replying, "Yes;, I do."  
  
  
They sat for a while, just looking at one another, neither one feeling a need to say anything. Finally, Sark said, "I; don't think Allison is very fond of you."  
  
  
Sydney sobered quickly. "I; don't expect her to be."  
  
  
"What; *do* you expect?" Sark asked.  
  
  
Sydney shook her head slightly. "I; don't expect anything." She sighed as Sark nodded in acknowledgement. "Well;, I do expect one thing."  
  
  
"What;'s that?"  
  
  
Sydney looked down at the mattress and shrugged. "If; we're going to be working together, I guess I expect her not to off me as soon as we meet again."  
  
  
Sark chuckled lightly. "I; think that's a reasonable request."  
  
  
Sydney laughed too, and they locked eyes again. "I;'m really glad we're in this together."  
  
  
Sark looked far into her eyes as he said, "Me; too, Sydney."  
  
  
Sighing again, Sydney drew her knees up and lay her head on her arm. Sark flipped onto his back and looked up at the ceiling, his hands folded over his abdomen. Sydney looked at him through half-lidded eyes, thinking about everything that had happened in the past week, namely her and Sark becoming unlikely allies in the fight against the Covenant. She hadn't expected it, but it had happened.  
  
  
She wondered what would happen after the Covenant had been taken down. Would Sark flee? Would he move to a remote location to never be heard from again? Would he go back to being her enemy?  
  
  
She decided to ask.  
  
  
"Sark;?" she murmured softly.  
  
  
He didn't look at her as he said, "Hm;?"  
  
  
Sydney kept her gaze on his visage to look for any tells as she asked, "What; happens after the Covenant is taken down?"  
  
  
Sark looked at her then. His expression, if Sydney didn't know better, looked almost hopeful. "What; do you want to happen?"  
  
  
Sydney looked into his eyes, trying to read them, trying to figure out what he meant by what he had said. Almost sadly, she answered, "I; don't know."  
  
  
The bedroom door swung open and Sydney and Sark looked to see whom it was. It was Simon, and Sydney noticed that he looked somewhat irritated. She could understand why, given that this was the second time Simon had caught her and Sark in something of a compromising position.  
  
  
She felt a bit guilty, but she wasn't sure if it was because of Simon's reaction of the fact that she and Sark were lying together. She sat up. "Hi.;"  
  
  
"Hello;," Simon said in a falsely cheerful tone. He walked over to them and his eyes flicked from Sydney to Sark then back to Sydney. "Anything; you want to tell me?"  
  
  
Sydney floundered. "No;, I mean, we were just talking about the mission."  
  
  
"I; see."  
  
  
"Simon;, seriously," Sydney said earnestly. "You; were asleep and we didn't want to wake you up."  
  
  
At that point, Simon leaned in and roughly took Sydney's face in his hands kissing her hard. Sydney kissed back, startled, and felt the mattress springs to the side of her move up and then down as Sark got up and Simon took his place.  
  
  
The door closed and Simon climbed on top of Sydney, detaching his lips from hers and leaning down to bite her neck. Sydney surrendered for a few moments before shrilly crying out when Simon clamped down hard on her sensitive skin. She pushed him off her and sat up. Simon sat on his knees, breathing hard. Sydney looked at him, rubbing her neck with her fingers, and gasping at the blood on the tips.  
  
  
She stood up and went to the door. She started to leave but Simon stopped her and began soothing the cuts his teeth had made with his lips and tongue, whispering words of apology. " she protested weakly.  
  
  
Simon picked her up and lay her down on the bed. Sydney watched him as he pressed kisses against every inch of exposed skin and simultaneously undressed himself and her. She considered stopping him, as her common sense was begging her to, but the fearful part of her mind was telling her if she stopped him he might kill her because he assumed that she was betraying him with Sark.  
  
  
So, she drew his head up to hers, kissing him in kind, pulling his body down on hers, making her own body react instantly with desire. Simon stripped them both of any last disguises and slid inside her. They moved together, and it wasn't long before they both had gone over the edge.  
  
  
Simon scrambled off of her quickly, and Sydney pulled her knees to her chest, puzzled with Simon's actions. She started to ask what was going on, but Simon had already dressed and left the room.  
  
  
Hurt and confused, Sydney dressed as well and locked the closed door, then climbed back into bed, squeezing her eyes shut against an onslaught of tears.  
  
  
**A/N:** Sydney needs a hug. {{{{{{{Syd}}}}}}} The Sarkney is coming, by the way.. just so y'all know. ;x  
  
Anyways, I was a little discouraged after posting chapter 10 and getting 2 (!) reviews. Seriously, that's not cool. :( But I'll continue, 'cuz it's getting close to the end anyway.  
  
If I don't post another chapter by Thursday, then I wish y'all a very Merry Christmas, and I hope you get lots of gifts. ;) There are probably close to 75 boxes under the tree and on the side by the fireplace ('cuz we ran out of room) at my house. There might even be more than that, but it's only my mom, my dad, and I, and we have TONS of presents. And.. and.. I think there are more coming. It's crazy. :D  
  
*hugs y'all*  
  
~E


	12. Breakthroughs

**Twelve  
  
Breakthroughs  
  
  
  
  
**

_She looks to the sun  
Help her to carry on  
Breaking down all the years  
Wondering how she got here  
She drifts through the sky  
Counting the reasons why  
How my life turned so fast  
Remembering all of the past  
  
All the changes, and all the mistakes  
Foolishly laughing at things that  
Words that she says  
  
She looks to the stars  
Breaking, time to follow the heart  
Her world is falling apart  
  
And the turning of every new page  
A book on a shelf that is there to remain  
Breaking the walls as she's tearing them down  
As she is starting to drown  
  
She's waiting for love  
She's waiting, waiting for love  
Waiting, waiting for love  
She's waiting, waiting so long_  
  
"Waiting; for Love"  
Pink**  
**

  
  


Vaughn and Lauren had made themselves comfortable on Weiss' couch while Weiss had plopped into a comfy chair. He looked at both of them, then just at Vaughn. "I; was taking a nap, dude, so this better be important."  
  
  
"It; is," Vaughn assured him. "We; have reason to believe that Sydney didn't just leave because she couldn't deal with what's happened since she got back."  
  
  
"Oh;," Weiss said simply. He yawned and rubbed his eyes again. "Talk; to Jack. He's your best bet."  
  
  
"We; did," Vaughn told him. "He; won't say anything."  
  
  
"Oh;," Weiss said again.  
  
  
"We; were hoping you might know something," Lauren said, "seeing; as you live next to her and have probably spent the most time with her out of all of us."  
  
  
"Well;," Weiss began, "she; was acting a little odd."  
  
  
"Define; 'odd,'" Lauren demanded.  
  
  
"She;'d kill me if I told you," Weiss said.  
  
  
"*We'll* kill you if you don't," Lauren countered.  
  
  
"Damn; it," Weiss muttered. "Women.;"  
  
  
"Tell; us," Lauren pressed.  
  
  
Weiss sighed and threw his hands up in the air in surrender. "Fine.;"  
  
  
  
  
Sydney was still in bed when she heard someone knock on the door. "Go; away," she muttered angrily. The knocking was persistent. "I; told you once" The knocking didn't cease, and finally Sydney got up and threw open the door, coming face to face with Sark.  
  
  
She blinked, feeling her eyes crusty with her tears, and she turned her back on Sark, embarrassed, and wiped her eyes. "What; do you want?" she asked, her voice gruff.  
  
  
"Simon; stormed out," Sark told her. "I; wanted to see if you were—"  
  
  
"All; right?" Sydney questioned haughtily. "I;'m fine."  
  
  
"No;, you're not."  
  
  
Sydney whipped back around. "Then; why did you ask?"  
  
  
"I; didn't," Sark said, "you; added your own ending to my question."  
  
  
Sydney considered demanding what he was originally going to ask but decided against it and just said, "You;'re right—I'm not all right."  
  
  
"Talk; to me."  
  
  
Sydney scoffed. "We; don't do that."  
  
  
Sark waggled his eyebrows at her. "What; do you mean?"  
  
  
"You; and I, we don't do that."  
  
  
"Talk;, you mean?" Sark asked.  
  
  
"Yeah;," Sydney huffed, rolling her eyes, "obviously.;"  
  
  
"We; could, you know," Sark said with a shrug.  
  
  
Sydney looked at him for a long moment and whispered, "No;, we can't."  
  
  
Sark just nodded, understanding Sydney's response applied to a number of different levels. He looked at her, wondering if she might reconsider on at least *this* particular level, but it looked as if he would have no such luck. He sighed a bit and turned to leave.  
  
  
"Sark.;"  
  
  
Sark stopped, waiting for Sydney to speak again.  
  
  
"I;'m sorry."  
  
  
Sark looked down. "I; know." He shut the door behind him.  
  
  
Sydney wanted to call him back, tell him she would talk to him, maybe even give him the whole story of Simon and Julia—what she knew at least—past and present.  
  
  
But she didn't.  
  
  
She couldn't.  
  
  
That wasn't the nature of her relationship with Sark, not now, not ever. She couldn't pour her heart out to him even if she wanted because as soon as she did, he would probably use the information against her, most likely after the Covenant had been taken down, when they would be enemies once again.  
  
  
She couldn't allow herself to be vulnerable with the one man who could destroy her when she least expected it. She looked at the door, sighed heavily, felt a tear fall down her cheek.  
  
  
And she stood there.  
  
  
  
  
Weiss leaned back in his chair, looking at his best friend and his best friend's wife. "She; went to see Simon yesterday. On her own. She just went to see him."  
  
  
Vaughn looked pained and angry. Lauren crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "Did; she say why?"  
  
  
"He; called," Weiss explained. "I; was standing right there when he called. We were in her apartment. She told me that she was going to see him, and I basically made it clear to her that she shouldn't go. I couldn't convince her to stay."  
  
  
"What; did she say when she returned?" Lauren asked.  
  
  
"I; asked her how it went and she said it went well. She didn't tell me anything else, but she did say she had to go talk to Jack and Dixon."  
  
  
"And; she did," said Vaughn, nodding, "because; I talked to Jack afterwards and he was tight-lipped about the whole thing."  
  
  
"I; talked to her before she talked to either man," Lauren confessed. "She; was snippy. I immediately thought it was because she just doesn't like me, but I think she might have been eager to talk to her father especially, to perhaps discuss something with him."  
  
  
Vaughn turned to her. "You; talked to her afterwards, as well, right?"  
  
  
"Right;, and that was when she told me she needed to get away for a while. I gave her a number where she could reach me, if she needed anything." Lauren looked sheepish.  
  
  
Vaughn looked momentarily pleased and relieved, and Weiss spoke up, "She; came back and told me the same thing."  
  
  
Lauren leaned back against the couch. "I;'m stumped."  
  
  
"Me; too," Weiss agreed.  
  
  
"I; think we should talk to Jack again," Vaughn suggested. "It; would be three against one if we corner him."  
  
  
"True;," Lauren noted, "although; I'm not sure it would work."  
  
  
"Why; is that?" Vaughn demanded.  
  
  
"Because; then he would know that we're all in this together," Lauren said. "Plus;, I really don't think that ganging up on Jack Bristow is going to solve anything."  
  
  
"Damn; it," Weiss muttered. "What; should we do instead?"  
  
  
"I; could talk to him," Lauren volunteered.  
  
  
"How; would that be any better?" huffed Vaughn.  
  
  
"It; probably won't," Lauren admitted as Vaughn scoffed and Weiss laughed. "But;, he might find it intriguing that I'm concerned about Sydney and where she went—and who knows? Perhaps he'll confide in me."  
  
  
"It;'s a long shot," Vaughn sighed.  
  
  
"Well;, if push comes to shove," Weiss began, "maybe; you can threaten him because you're NSC." Lauren frowned and Vaughn reached over to punch his arm. "I; was kidding," he mumbled. He rubbed the beginning bruise on his arm. "  
  
  
"I;'m off," Lauren said, standing up. She kissed Vaughn's nose. "Stay; here so it doesn't look suspicious." Vaughn agreed with a nod and Lauren kissed him again before she took off out the door.  
  
  
"Think; she'll find out anything?" Vaughn asked Weiss when his wife had left.  
  
  
Weiss shook his head sadly. "Not; a chance in hell."  
  
  
  
  
Lauren reached the Joint Task Force in a matter of minutes and cursed under her breath when she saw that Jack's car was nowhere to be found. Biting her lip thoughtfully, she decided to drive around for a while and see if had stopped someplace close, perhaps to get a bite to eat.  
  
  
She found him at a nearby park and smiled at her luck. She parked and got out, adjusting her blazer against the chilly breeze. Jack had his back to her and she called out, "Mr.; Bristow."  
  
  
Jack turned around, and Lauren didn't miss the fleeting look of surprise on his face. "Lauren;," he said simply.  
  
  
"We; need to talk."  
  
  
Jack's face was unexpressive as he sat down on the bench near where he was standing and looked at Lauren to silent beckon her forth. Lauren smiled tightly and joined him, immediately launching into her explanation.  
  
  
"I; know that you're aware Sydney has left. I also know that Sydney wouldn't just leave for the hell of it. What I don't know is whether you're involved in her true reason for leaving."  
  
  
"Lauren;," Jack began, "Sydney; lost two years of her life and she is struggling to determine why as well as simply exist in the life she has now. She is doing so in her own way."  
  
  
"I; don't believe you," Lauren told him. "I; think Sydney is up to something, and I think you know what she is up to."  
  
  
Jack smiled, the knowing smile he used whenever he was prepared to unleash a verbal attack. Lauren braced herself, but the onslaught of words never came. Instead, Jack asked, "What; do you think she is up to?"  
  
  
Lauren faltered, but managed to recover with, "I; think it has to do with Simon Walker, maybe even the Covenant. I don't know." She looked hard at Jack. "I; don't know," she said again, "but; I think that you do, and I would love it if you told me."  
  
  
"What; do you have to gain from knowing?"  
  
  
Lauren squinted. "Nothing.; I just want to know. Maybe I could help her, you, both of you together."  
  
  
Jack smiled again. "Vaughn; sent you, didn't he?" Lauren nodded, and Jack looked out in front of him, then directed his gaze up to the sky. "I; bet Weiss was involved, too."  
  
  
Lauren took a deep breath. "It; was my idea, though," she admitted, "to; come here." She sighed. "I; want to know, Jack," she continued, her tone earnest. "Tell; me."  
  
  
Jack turned to her, fixed her with an intent expression. "You; said you thought you could possibly help." He paused, then asked, "What; would you do to help?"  
  
  
"Anything;," Lauren whispered.  
  
  
Jack nodded. "Lead; me to Vaughn and Weiss."  
  
  
  
  
Sydney was still standing by the door. The tear was still on her cheek and no others had fallen. She hadn't heard the front door open, and she found herself wondering where Simon had gone.  
  
  
Then, she realized she didn't care.  
  
  
She thought back to the conversation in which Simon had told her he loved her and they had discussed why Julia had left. Sydney realized now that Simon hadn't been worth Julia's time. Sydney loved Simon as Julia and it was obviously a mistake. Simon was controlling and Sydney didn't need anyone like that in her life, whether it be now or when she was Julia.  
  
  
She knew now that it had been better when she—as Julia—and Simon had just had a physical relationship. An emotional one would have never worked seeing as it wasn't working now.  
  
  
Sydney exhaled sharply and opened the door to step out into the hallway. She started walking towards Sark who was sitting in his recliner. She wasn't sure if what she was about to do was a good idea, but she didn't care one way or the other.  
  
  
She walked a bit quicker towards him. She still wasn't sure she should be doing what she was planning on doing, but she knew that staying in the bedroom would make her crazy.  
  
  
Sark looked up at her and watched her as she walked towards him from the hallway. He closed the book he was reading and lay it down on the small table next to his chair. He locked eyes with Sydney when she stopped by the couch. He noticed that she looked upset, but he knew that if he asked her questions, she would probably tell him off for sticking his nose where it didn't belong.  
  
  
So, he folded his hands in his lap and waited. Sydney looked at him for a few moments, clearly contemplating the best move to make. Sark noticed Sydney's hands shaking ever so slightly by her sides, and Sydney quickly shoved her hands into her pockets.  
  
  
Sark still refrained from speaking, wanting—and requiring—Sydney to talk first and explain what she was thinking. He looked at her again and realized that Sydney didn't seem to be getting any closer as far as talking was concerned. And, as much as the suspense was killing him, Sark began to grow bored with Sydney's silence. He wasn't annoyed with her—he just didn't have an ounce of patience. He started twiddling his thumbs.  
  
  
Sydney took a deep breath, seeing that her window of opportunity was fading fast. Breathing in again, she gasped out, "Hi.;"  
  
  
Sydney expected Sark to smile, at least. It seemed appropriate, given how flustered she was, something of which she was absolutely certain Sark was aware. But, he only answered her greeting with one of his own, "Hello.;"  
  
  
"H-hi;," Sydney said again, and took her hands out of the pockets of her jeans because she suddenly felt awkward standing there giving off an "aw; shucks" vibe. She would have felt compelled to shuffle one foot and stare down at the carpet.  
  
  
In lieu of coming off as a complete and utter dork, Sydney took a seat on the couch, struggling to hang onto as much dignity as possible. She looked at Sark and saw that she was going to have to do a great deal of talking before he started firing words back at her.  
  
  
She decided to start off simple. "I; want to talk."  
  
  
"All; right," Sark agreed with a shrug.  
  
  
"Not; here, though," Sydney said, standing up suddenly. She was steadily gaining confidence. "Let;'s go to my apartment." She saw Sark gulp at that, and wondered if he would agree, or if he would tell her he had to go see Allison.  
  
  
"Works; for me," he said simply, and Sydney made certain that her jaw did not hit the floor when she opened her mouth in surprise. Sark stood up, and Sydney was sure that she saw a smirk or smile or something as he walked past her.  
  
  
Sydney went into the kitchen and spotted a notepad and a pencil on the counter. She picked up the pencil and scribbled a note to Simon, telling him that she and Sark went to check out her new digs and that they would be back later. She scribbled "Love;, J" at the bottom, and wondered if it was how Julia would have signed notes to Simon.  
  
  
She realized it didn't matter, and she tossed the pencil carelessly on the counter and walked out of the kitchen and to the front door where Sark was waiting.  
  
  
"Let;'s go."  
  
  
**A/N:** Yay, new chap on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas, y'all. :D I got tons of presents. ;) I'm looking forward to prime rib in a little bit, which is gonna be great.  
  
Mmmm prime rib  
  
Hee, anyway, I really liked this chapter. Good Syd/Sark stuff, good Vaughn, Lauren, and Weiss stuff, good Jack stuff, good LaurenOnHerOwn stuff good stuff overall.  
  
I'm working on chapter 13, and I hope to have it up soon. Until then, have a great holiday and thanks for reading/reviewing/enjoying. ;)  
  
  
~E


	13. Uncharted Territory

**Thirteen  
  
Uncharted Territory  
  
  
  
  
**

_There are too many questions  
There is not one solution  
There is no resurrection  
There is so much confusion  
  
And the love profusion  
You make me feel  
You make me know  
And the love vibration  
You make me feel  
You make it shine_  
  
"Love; Profusion"  
Madonna**  
**

  
  


Sydney directed Sark to her apartment while he drove. Sydney hauled out her suitcase and rolled it up the walk. She and Sark climbed a few sets of stairs before they reached the door of Sydney's apartment.  
  
  
It was then that Sydney realized she didn't have the key. Her father had forgotten to give it to her.  
  
  
_Or did he?_ she wondered, and bent down to look under the small welcome mat. Sure enough, there was a key. She picked it up and stood, then unlocked the door. She figured Sark would say something perhaps along the lines of how silly it had been to leave a key where anyone could snatch it. To her relief, he remained quiet, and they walked into the apartment together.  
  
  
Sydney walked around the apartment, checking out the already furnished rooms. Sark followed, doing as much of an exploration as she was. Sydney deposited her suitcase in her bedroom and a bag of toiletries in the bathroom.  
  
  
When Sydney was satisfied—of what, though, she didn't know—she returned to the living room and went into the kitchen, looking for something to eat and drink. Quick glances into the refrigerator and the pantry ensured that Jack had gone to great lengths to keep the place stocked.  
  
  
She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, uncapped it, and took a long drink. She looked for Sark and found his leaning against the kitchen counter. She opened her mouth to speak, to at least say something to him, since they had been quiet since they'd gotten in the door.  
  
  
Sark spoke instead, asking simply, "Do; you mind if I—?" as he pointed to the refrigerator. Sydney waved a hand in response, and Sark went to the refrigerator.  
  
  
Sydney grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and went back out into the living room, slumping down on the couch with a sigh, and tucking her legs beneath her. She heard Sark digging in the refrigerator and she felt a swarm of butterflies enter her stomach. When she had told Sark she wanted to talk and had subsequently invited him to her apartment, it had been an impulsive decision. Now, she was almost wishing she hadn't done it.  
  
  
She was uncertain about exactly what she should say to him. As she had thought about before, Sark could use the information against her. What she would likely tell him about Julia and Simon was personal, even though she didn't know all that much about the time she had spent with Simon as Julia.  
  
  
She wasn't sure she wanted to let Sark in that far.  
  
  
She nearly leaped out of her seat when he sat down on the opposite end of the couch. She smiled nervously against the blush in her cheeks, but Sark wasn't looking at her. She raised an eyebrow at him as he rested his right ankle on his left knee and balanced a plate on one leg. The plate had two halves of a sandwich.  
  
  
Sydney examined the contents of the sandwich when Sark picked up one half and brought it to his mouth. It looked like it had turkey and American cheese. Her stomach growled then, and she looked away and opened the wrapper of her granola bar to take a bite.  
  
  
For a few minutes, they ate in silence.  
  
  
Sydney was silent because she had no idea how to begin the conversation, and Sark was silent because he wasn't going to be the one to initiate the conversation.  
  
  
Sydney looked at Sark, watched him eat, and opened her water bottle to take a swig. She tapped the fingers of one hand on her shin, something of a comforting action for herself, but only served to betray her nervousness to Sark.  
  
  
Finally, Sydney looked up and saw Sark had eaten half of his sandwich and was looking at her intently. "I; need to ask you something," Sydney said, fixing a gaze on Sark that was as intent as his. Sark stared in response, and Sydney went on. "I; need to know that what I say to you will not be revealed to anyone else."  
  
  
Sark sighed and nodded. "Sydney;, I'm not going to tell anyone."  
  
  
"Not; even Allison?"  
  
  
Narrowing his eyes, Sark questioned, "Why; would I tell Allison?"  
  
  
"Why; not?" Sydney said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I;'m sure she'd love to know how unlucky—"  
  
  
"Sydney;," Sark said in something of a warning tone. Sydney halted mid-sentence. "Look;, Sydney, I offered to talk with you, and you accepted. It goes no farther than that. Whatever you tell me is just between us."  
  
  
Sydney toyed with the cuff of her pant leg. "I;'m not sure I trust you."  
  
  
Sark all but rolled his eyes. "If; you don't trust me, Sydney, then why am I sitting here? Why did you bring me here saying that you wanted to talk if you don't have faith that I'm going to keep this secret?"  
  
  
"I; have the worst trust issues of anyone on this planet," Sydney said quietly, "but; I need someone to confide in." She dropped her voice even lower. "I; don't have any friends to talk to at all."  
  
  
"We;'re not friends, Sydney," Sark stated, locking his ice blue eyes with Sydney's when she looked up. He saw the wounded look on her face. He squinted a bit and added, "But; we're not enemies, either."  
  
  
Sydney's features hardened. "I; guess I'm supposed to be relieved."  
  
  
"Well;, that *was* what I was expecting," Sark admitted. He also expected a smirk or something similar from Sydney at his comment, but she remained stoic. He rubbed his temples. "Look;, Sydney, if you want to talk, talk. If you don't want to talk, then I'll just leave because—"  
  
  
"I; want to talk," Sydney said quickly, afraid to lose her one chance to spit out the whole story—or at least what she knew—of Julia and Simon.  
  
  
"Then; *talk*."  
  
  
Sydney looked up at him. "We; met in Algeria." She took another bite of her granola bar and chased it down with some water. "Apparently;, we didn't waste any time in beginning something of a relationship." She wrapped up the rest of the granola bar and placed it and the water bottle on the coffee table, then drew her knees to her chest. "Somewhere; in there," she waved a hand distractedly, "I; told him I loved him and he didn't say it back, thus causing me to leave and do something else."  
  
  
Sark listened intently, then picked up the other half of his sandwich and started eating. When Sydney was silent too long for his tastes, he gently prodded her with a "Go; on."  
  
  
Sydney did, and crossed her arms over her knees, leaning forward slightly. "I; don't know what happened after that, but eventually I ended up in Hong Kong, and then went home to LA, and found myself with Simon again on an undercover mission. We sort of picked up where we left off." She shrugged, looked up at Sark. Things had started to fizzle with Simon since Sark had shown up. She wasn't sure she should tell Sark that he was the reason Simon wasn't trusting her anymore and the reason why Simon was objectifying her for his own pleasure.  
  
  
She thought she should tell him. Perhaps give him a little perspective into why things were happening as they were. She couldn't exactly make up a reason for Simon to be treating her as he was. She looked more intently at Sark.  
  
  
She had to tell him.  
  
  
"Simon; doesn't trust me anymore," she said slowly.  
  
  
"Well; that's obvious," Sark spat, "given; how he's been acting."  
  
  
Sydney stared, feeling certain that a protective streak had risen up in Sark. But she wasn't sure why. Did he simply not care for Simon's attitude and actions? Or did he feel angry that the aforementioned attitude and actions were being directed at her?  
  
  
"It;'s because of you," she blurted.  
  
  
Sark gave her a look. "I; know." Sydney raised an eyebrow. "Why; else would he be so possessive of you when you and I are in the same room together? I'm not blind, Sydney. He obviously thinks you and I are more than just the mere acquaintances he once believed we were."  
  
  
"That; was easy," Sydney mumbled, looking down. "Why; didn't you tell me you knew?"  
  
  
"What; was I supposed to say? 'Your boyfriend thinks we're sleeping together, so it might be best if we don't say another word to each for the remainder of this op'?"  
  
  
Sydney leaned back against the couch, wrapping her arms around herself. Almost to herself, she whispered, "Might; have prevented some things."  
  
  
Sark didn't answer, only set down his empty plate on the coffee table. He glanced up at Sydney, seeing her eyes suddenly glistening with unshed tears. He was about to speak when Sydney stood up suddenly to stammer through the declaration that she was going to take a shower and he could leave if he so wanted.  
  
  
She swept down the hall without another word, and closed the bathroom door hard enough for the sound to reverberate through the walls. She turned the water on and went to the bag she had left on the counter when she had first entered the apartment. With shaking hands, she took out soap and a sponge and set them on a corner of the bath.  
  
  
She pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it and every other article of clothing she removed after into the hamper in the room. She walked back over to the shower, putting her hand under the running water. It was scalding. She drew back the curtain and stepped inside.  
  
  
She washed quickly, then stayed under the hot spray, her eyes closed and her head tilted back. She was angry at Sark for not saying something beforehand. She knew that she could have said something as well, but she had no idea how Sark would have taken it, especially if she had said it after what Simon had believed was their first meeting.  
  
  
It was then that she realized Simon suspected something, but she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, that maybe he was just a tad overprotective and not all-out possessive and clingy.  
  
  
Her anger immediately turned to Simon. She could still barely comprehend what he had done, and all she could think about was how much she wanted to make him pay for it. She would be able to soon enough. She would be able to make him wish he had never messed with Sydney Bristow.  
  
  
She swiped at the hot tears in her eyes and shut off the water. She got out of the shower, drying herself off quickly and wrapping a towel around her. She wanted to apologize to Sark, that was, if he hadn't left yet. She left the bathroom in a hurry, not bothering to go to her room to get dressed. She had to see if he was still there.  
  
  
Luckily, he was.  
  
  
She saw him still sitting on the couch, looking as if he hadn't moved at all. He looked up at her when she walked in, a look of surprise on his face. She clutched the towel a bit tighter, felt drips of water from her soaked hair cascade down her neck and shoulders.  
  
  
"I;'m sorry."  
  
  
Sark digested her words and replied, "You; didn't do anything wrong, Sydney."  
  
  
"Yeah;, I did," Sydney insisted, sounding a bit out of breath. "It; was stupid of me to say what I did. If anything, I should have been the one to say something. I shouldn't have acted like it was your responsibility when it was clearly mine. It was my fault." She felt her lower lip begin to tremble and she clamped down hard on it. She opened to mouth to say something more, but ultimately decided against it and turned to go to her room.  
  
  
Sark's voice halted her. "It; wasn't your fault, Sydney," he said softly, as he stood up. "If; anyone is to blame, it's Simon." He walked over to Sydney, placed his hand on her shoulder as she was facing away from him. Unlike before, when she had looked upon this action in distaste, Sydney now seemed to welcome it.  
  
  
"Thanks;," she murmured.  
  
  
Sark responded by kissing her hair and gently squeezing her shoulder. They stood silently until Sark let his hand drop back to his side and said that he would leave her to get some rest.  
  
  
"Don;'t go," she said suddenly, turning to face him as he stopped by the door. She tried to backpedal at his somewhat startled expression. "I; mean, I-I think I would enjoy the company."  
  
  
Sark considered her earnest statement as well as the equally earnest look in her eyes before stating, "Allison;'s probably wondering where I've gone."  
  
  
"Yeah;," Sydney said quietly. "She; needs you, anyway." She sighed as Sark looked as if he was seriously going to consider blowing off Allison to stay with her. "Just; come get me when we're supposed to—you know—do this thing." She managed a smile, then headed off down the hall, with Sark wondering how he could have changed the outcome of the conversation.  
  
  
  
  
Sydney shut her bedroom door and listened for the sound of the front door closing as Sark walked out. She sighed heavily and dropped her towel, climbing into bed naked and burying her face in her pillow.  
  
  
Sark must have inferred her attraction to him and that had to have been why he came up with the Allison excuse. Sydney realized why she had always felt a sudden rush at being in the same room as Sark and why she had always felt a major pang of guilt whenever Simon had found them together.  
  
  
She was right when she had said it was her fault. She had given Simon every reason to believe she had cheated on him with Sark—and she didn't regret it one bit.  
  
  
That wasn't to say she enjoyed that she was attracted to Sark. She still believed that he wasn't entirely trustworthy and that everything she was feeling for him might come back to haunt her later. But nonetheless, she knew that Sark felt what she felt. She knew he did. He *had* to.  
  
  
There was no way he could deny it.  
  
  
  
  
Sark sped back to his apartment, cursing himself for not staying with Sydney. She had laid everything out in the open and he had walked away. He realized what she had meant when she had said it was her fault for what had happened—she wanted him. She had blindly led Simon to draw the conclusion that she and Sark had been sleeping together, and she hadn't realized it until now.  
  
  
Neither had Sark.  
  
  
He had suppressed his feelings and desires probably for Allison's sake. _Allison,_ he thought, _shit._ He had almost cheated on her, but he had allowed himself an out and hadn't gone through with it. He wondered if Sydney would even look at him the same way if something *had* happened, or if something *did* happen.  
  
  
Would she say that it was a one-time thing that had allowed both of them to act on a common attraction?  
  
  
Would she say that she wanted more than just a one-time event?  
  
  
Would she condemn their act and say she never wanted anything to do with him?  
  
  
Sark wasn't sure he cared. But, as much as he wanted Sydney, he also was still very much in love with Allison. He knew he couldn't just let go of their relationship to act upon an animalistic urge with Sydney. He wasn't that type of person and he refused to let himself become that kind of person.  
  
  
He parked in front of his apartment and saw that Allison was apparently still there, waiting for him. He gulped and felt his stomach twist up at how devoted Allison was.  
  
  
He got out of his car, his heart pounding painfully in his chest, and started for the door.  
  
  
**A/N:** And we're one step closer to Sarkney. :D The mission is coming soon, and there's probably going to be a big twist. Or sort of a twist. Or something.  
  
Hee. ;)  
  
  
~E


	14. Conversation

**Fourteen  
  
Conversation  
  
  
  
  
**

Sark entered the apartment and looked around for Allison. He didn't have to look far because she came striding out of the kitchen almost as soon as he walked into the living room.  
  
  
"Hey;," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. "So; what did Bristow have to say?"  
  
  
Sark froze for an instant, and tried to recover, but Allison noticed and backed away. Sark chewed on his lip. "She; called me when I was at the airport and ended up flying down here." He caught the look of annoyance that Allison tossed his way. "She; has an apartment down here now, for the duration of however long she's going to stay. I briefed her on the—"  
  
  
"You; haven't even briefed _me_," Allison shot back.  
  
  
"I; know, but since she was here, I decided to go ahead and do that. We talked at the safehouse, then I gave her a lift home because she doesn't have any means of transportation."  
  
  
"She; has legs."  
  
  
Sark frowned. "Alli;, I was helping her out."  
  
  
Allison sighed. "I; know. I just don't trust her."  
  
  
Sark raised an eyebrow. "Why; is that?"  
  
  
Allison tilted her head at Sark and gave him a death glare. "Are; you forgetting that the bitch nearly killed me?"  
  
  
Sark bristled at Allison's words, then said through clenched teeth, "Only; because you were going to kill her."  
  
  
"Are; you defending her?"  
  
  
"I;'m not _defending_ anyone," Sark told her, then held up a hand when she started to lash out at him. "All; I'm saying is, you both defended yourselves and you both survived. End of story."  
  
  
Allison stared hard at Sark, uneasy about the hints he seemed to be dropping. Especially since he was a spy and obviously trained to conceal even his deepest feelings. Now, he seemed to be on Sydney's side—and Allison didn't know why.  
  
  
"If; I didn't know better," she began, "I;'d say that you liked her."  
  
  
"What; are you talking about?"  
  
  
"The; way you're talking," Allison said, "it; seems like you don't exactly dislike her"  
  
  
"Of; course I don't," Sark blurted, "and; if I did, there's no way that she would be working with us. She would have nothing to do with me."  
  
  
Allison pursed her lips and nodded slightly. It was becoming a little clearer now. But what she couldn't figure out was whether or not Sark was acting the way he was so that Sydney wouldn't be scared off or if it was because he was becoming her friend.  
  
  
Or perhaps more.  
  
  
"Just; be careful," she said sincerely, touching the side of his face then trailing a finger over his lips.  
  
  
Sark squinted, confused with what Allison was saying. "I; don't understand."  
  
  
Allison sighed a bit. "You; will—if things go the way I think they might."  
  
  
She didn't want to explain it. A part of her told her that Sark should already know, unless he thought that he was calling the shots with Sydney. She looked down. That must have been it. He thought that he was controlling the situation. It seemed obvious to Allison that it was Sydney who was afraid that Sark might screw her over and Sark was letting her believe it, when in fact she had the upper hand.  
  
  
Sark could ruin Sydney and Sydney knew it, but Sydney had the advantage of the entire CIA being on her side who could easily burn Sark.  
  
  
And right now, it didn't seem like Sark had any worries about that.  
  
  
"So; this mission," she started, "what; do we have to do?"  
  
  
  
  
Sydney awoke to the sound of her ringing cell phone. The fact that it was loud told her that she must have left it nearby. She got out of bed, wrapped her towel around herself, and followed the noise into the bathroom. She went through the clothes she had in there from when she had taken her shower and pulled her cell phone from a pocket in her jeans.  
  
  
It was her father.  
  
  
  
  
Jack had followed Lauren in his car to Weiss' apartment where Weiss and Vaughn were waiting. He planned to tell them everything, since there was no use hiding it now. Lauren, Vaughn, and Weiss were too smart to be fooled any longer.  
  
  
They entered the apartment and Vaughn and Weiss stood up immediately. Neither Vaughn nor Weiss could hide the slight smirk of accomplishment. Lauren gestured for Jack to go over to the couch and all four sat down.  
  
  
"Where; is Sydney?" Vaughn demanded, not wasting any time.  
  
  
Jack squinted at him and Vaughn looked down at his hands in his lap. Jack looked over at Lauren. "I;'m going to call Sydney, check in with her, tell her that you know what's going on and have offered to help. After, I'll explain exactly what is happening."  
  
  
Lauren nodded. Vaughn and Weiss also gave nods in agreement.  
  
  
Jack pulled his cell phone from his coat pocket and dialed.  
  
  
  
  
Sydney swallowed hard and listened to the phone ring a couple more times before she answered. "Hi; Dad."  
  
  
"Hello; Sydney," Jack replied on the other line.  
  
  
Sydney bit her lip, contemplating what more she should say to her father. She still had no idea why he had called, other than to perhaps check in once again to see how things were progressing. Tentatively, she asked, "What;'s up?"  
  
  
"I; called to see how everything was going," he replied. "I; trust that it's still going well."  
  
  
"Yeah;," Sydney said with a sigh, "things; are going great."  
  
  
"Good;," Jack said, "good.;"  
  
  
"Was; that all?" Sydney asked, not wanting to waste more time with silence on both of their parts.  
  
  
"No;, actually," Jack admitted, "I; have something to tell you."  
  
  
Sydney felt her stomach drop to her toes. She placed a hand over her abdomen, suddenly feeling the urge to retch. She wasn't even sure why, especially since nothing had seemed to be wrong with their plan. She wondered if Dixon had found out somehow and intended to make things difficult for them—to say the very least.  
  
  
"Dad;," she began, her voice shaky, "what;'s going on?"  
  
  
Jack was startled for the briefest of moments. He hadn't expected Sydney to take his announcement of an impending revelation like this. He tried to smooth things over. "Sydney;, it's nothing for you to worry about," he said gently, "but; I do need to inform you."  
  
  
"Of; what?" Sydney asked, her tone hoarse. She cleared her throat, feeling like she had been screaming for ten minutes straight when in fact she had done nothing of the sort. She started for the living room, needing a glass of water.  
  
  
"Sydney;," Jack said, and Sydney stopped in her tracks. "Lauren;, Vaughn, and Weiss know the truth."  
  
  
Sydney felt a shiver run through her entire body. Even though her father had said that the three knew, the only name that stuck out to her was Vaughn's. She hadn't thought about Vaughn since their fight at the hospital. Now she was feeling guilty—guilty about everything. She felt guilty for blowing up at him, she felt guilty for not telling him the truth about what she was doing, but most of all, she felt guilty for not thinking about him—for letting her thoughts be filled with nothing but Simon and Sark.  
  
  
_Sark_, she thought. Regardless, she decided, about how she felt about her growing feelings for Sark, she couldn't let him occupy all of her thoughts.  
  
  
She felt tears sting her eyes and she choked back the sob rising up in her throat. She didn't want to betray Vaughn, no matter what the cost may be. She still loved him and she always would, and she didn't want him to not be able to trust her.  
  
  
"Vaughn; knows?" she said weakly, trying to hide the tears in her voice.  
  
  
Jack confirmed with a simple, "Yes.;"  
  
  
Sydney swallowed and said the only thing she could think of that might redeem her slightly, "Tell; him I'm sorry. If you see him, I mean," she added. "Please.;"  
  
  
Jack sighed and told her, "It; would probably sound better coming from you."  
  
  
Sydney protested, "But; I'm not there to tell him, and I won't be for quite a while. I just need him to know."  
  
  
There was no answer to Sydney's plea because Jack had already handed the phone to Vaughn.  
  
  
Sydney paused, waiting for her father to say something. "Dad;?"  
  
  
"No;," Vaughn said, and Sydney's heart leaped into her throat. "It;'s me."  
  
  
"Vaughn;?" Sydney asked softly.  
  
  
"Yeah;," he replied. "Hi;," he added, sheepishly.  
  
  
"Hi;," Sydney breathed, a touch of laughter in her voice because the exchange of greetings was suddenly the funniest thing that had ever happened to her. "I;'m sorry," she began quietly, "I;'m sorry I didn't tell you about what my father and I were doing. We didn't even tell _Dixon_. We didn't want to involve anyone else for fear that we might not be given clearance to do it."  
  
  
"It;'s okay, Syd," he assured her, "I; understand." Sydney sighed with relief. "And; for the record, your father hasn't even told us exactly what you're doing."  
  
  
"He; hasn't?" Sydney asked, confused. Her father had told her earlier that Vaughn, Weiss, and Lauren knew.  
  
  
"No;," Vaughn replied, "not; yet."  
  
  
"Oh;," Sydney said, but it was almost inaudible.  
  
  
"Yeah;," Vaughn said, sighing.  
  
  
"Where; are you?" Sydney asked after a moment.  
  
  
"Weiss;' apartment," he answered. "We;'re all over here." Sydney was silent, pondering why they were at Weiss' apartment, unless "I; know what you're thinking," Vaughn said, "Lauren;, Weiss, and I all figured something was up, and Lauren questioned your father. He decided to fill us in. That's why we're here."  
  
  
"Oh;," Sydney said again, in the same quiet voice.  
  
  
Vaughn had to chuckle. "Syd;, you couldn't have honestly believed that we would just accept you giving up so easily. We all know that you would never do that. It's just not who you are."  
  
  
Sydney had to smile, a rush of warmth spreading across her cheeks. "Yeah;," she whispered, "I; know." They were silent for a few moments, and Sydney wondered what looks or glances might have been exchanged in the time. She licked her lips nervously and asked, "Can; I speak to Lauren?"  
  
  
Vaughn was dumbfounded, but managed to mumble through his answer of, "Sure.; Yeah. Okay."  
  
  
"Thanks;," Sydney replied. She heard Vaughn's muffled voice telling Lauren she had been requested.  
  
  
"Sydney;," Lauren's accent filled Sydney's ear.  
  
  
"Lauren;," she replied.  
  
  
A pause.  
  
  
"Look;, um, I was just wondering why you would go through the trouble of, you know, all of, um, this," Sydney said lamely.  
  
  
"Well;, like Michael said, quitting isn't what you do, and it seemed too suspicious anyway, so I had to question it."  
  
  
"Thank; you," Sydney said sincerely, and she suddenly thought of how Lauren had given her a number at which she could reach Lauren. Perhaps Lauren wasn't as bad as Sydney once thought.  
  
  
"You;'re welcome," Lauren replied. "I;'ll put your father back on."  
  
  
Sydney didn't answer, just mentally agreed. Lauren was a good person, Sydney could see that now. She had been touched by Lauren's offer before she had left in the first place, but she had never really considered taking Lauren up on it because she wasn't certain of Lauren's sincerity. Now, Sydney knew, Lauren wanted to make things as easy for her as possible—and she really appreciated it.  
  
  
Jack came back on the line and said, "I;'ll call you again later, to see if the situation has changed. Until then, be careful."  
  
  
"I; will," Sydney assured him. "Talk; to you later."  
  
  
Jack said the same and hung up.  
  
  
Sydney sighed and put her phone on the coffee table. She went over to her suitcase and dragged it to her room. She thought about the conversations she had had with her father, Vaughn, and Lauren. She realized she should have asked to speak to Weiss as well because they hadn't exactly parted ways on great terms.  
  
  
She shook her head slightly, not wanting to think about the negative and instead wanting to focus on the positive. She and Vaughn had moved past their spat in the hospital, which was definitely a plus. She felt something cold and icy around her heart and realized it was because she was thinking about Vaughn again. No matter how well they were getting along, the simple fact that they weren't together anymore still remained. It hurt Sydney deeply, but she knew that she couldn't wallow in her self-pity forever. She would always love Vaughn, whether they were together or not, and she would just have to deal with that and move on with her life.  
  
  
She still had Sark to think about.  
  
  
  
  
Jack set his phone down and turned to the three, whose attention was rapt. "I;'ll start at the beginning."  
  
  
  
  
Sark and Allison were sitting together on the couch in the living room of Sark's apartment. Sark had explained the mission to Allison and they had both seemed to move past the uncomfortable phase that was their conversation earlier.  
  
  
Sark was still trying to make sense of what Allison had meant, but for now he would just focus on the fact that Allison was in his arms and everything was going well.  
  
  
Except for that fact that Sark couldn't get his mind off of Sydney.  
  
  
He wondered if Allison had been subtly accusing him of growing too attached to Sydney or of at least acting as if he and Sydney were the best of friends. He sighed as he ran his fingers through Allison's hair.  
  
  
He wondered how Sydney was doing. He knew that he could have stayed and they could have talked or they could have done more, if Sydney so wanted. He was ready and willing to surrender to completely to her. His attraction had grown in the time they had been spending together, even thought they had been doing nothing more than exchanging verbal barbs and sarcastic comments.  
  
  
It was hard for him to believe that he had been falling for his greatest enemy, but it had happened.  
  
  
There was no way he could deny it.  
  
  
**A/N:** Yay! New chapter. Okay, well, I was inspired by the numerous reviews I got for this story after I added a new chapter to 'Scars.' ;P Anyways, I'm gonna get to the mission soon, which should be filled with Sarkney UST and a possible plot twist. Oh, and Lauren isn't evil. At least not in my story. I love Lauren, and I'm really disappointed with the writers for taking the easy way out. Pricks.  
  
Thanks for being so patient while I got a new chapter ready!  
  
  
~E


End file.
